The Golden Stranger: Attraction
by MegaKat
Summary: A TGS sidestory. Makoto has been training with Piccolo for nearly a year, and finds herself falling for him, despite his complete ignorance of feelings. R&R please! You know I suck at summaries! Update: TGS has been revised to make this sidestory canon to the series. :)
1. Chapter 1

"Alright, woman, this obviously isn't working. What's wrong?" He grunted, eyeing her impatiently when she looked away from him and didn't answer. "You've been acting oddly for days, and it's getting in the way of your training, damn it. I don't have time to play guessing games, so whatever it is, just tell me."

"It's nothing," Mako said flatly, turning her face forward once more as she closed her eyes, trying desperately to seek a meditative state.

"You're a horrible liar, woman," Piccolo grumbled, shaking his head, "and I don't appreciate you lying to me. I'm your sensei, there should be no untruths between us."

"Fine then," she snapped, "it's not nothing, but it's not any of your fucking business, so drop it."

The Namek's mouth formed a hard line at her outburst; normally she was so quiet and content, the very definition of Zen. Something was definitely bothering his student, and he was going to get to the bottom of it, solve the problem, and get back to their training. And if she wasn't going to talk to him, he would have to get his answers elsewhere. "Fine then, I'll be back in a few hours. In the meantime, I suggest you either learn to focus better, or solve whatever problem it is you're having."

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"Usagi."

The moon princess dodged a first aimed for her head, ducked, rolled out of the way, and popped back up to smile at him before back-flipping out of Trunks's reach. "Where's Mako? You two finished training already?" Her expression of surprise clearly said that there was no way in hell they were done that fast; Piccolo had made it perfectly clear that training with him would take several years. They'd only been training for something like ten months.

"I need to speak with you. Or if you're busy, one of the other girls…" Piccolo looked around with his mind for their kis, but Usagi was the only one present.

"Sure, what's up?" She pushed Trunks back playfully when he tried to dart in and wrestle her to the ground, but she was having none of it. Piccolo was clearly worried about Makoto, even if his face barely showed it.

"She's been unable to concentrate on anything during the last few days, and when I asked her about it, she first lied and said it was nothing, then refused to give me an answer when I pressed her for one. She seemed pretty angry when I tried to get her to tell me what was wrong."

"When did it start?" Usagi asked cautiously, already fairly sure what Mako's problem was. The only time Mako ever got snappish and cranky like what he was describing, was when there was a man involved.

Piccolo thought carefully about that for a moment before speaking. "Her concentration started slipping about three days ago, not long after we'd finished sparring for the day and went down to the spring to take a bath."

"Bath?" Trunks asked with a grin, knowing exactly where this was going. "So, you saw each other naked."

He shrugged. "What does that have to do with anything?" When the two of them just smirked and snorted, he rolled his eyes in impatience. "So she's mad at me, then, for asking uncomfortable questions."

Usagi nearly faceplanted at that, and buried her face in Trunks's shoulder while she laughed hysterically. "You… you asked question!?" She finally managed. "Wh—what kinds?"

Now he was simply confused. "About human anatomy, of course. I'd never seen a female human without clothing before Koto, so I just asked a couple of questions." Hell, they'd only been master and student for nearly a year, a few questions certainly weren't taboo, were they?

"Oh, God, Piccolo," Usagi giggled, sitting down abruptly. "What was her reaction to _that_!?"

"Well…" Mako had acted awfully odd, that was for sure. "Her face got red, and she seemed to be trying her best to stay in the water up to her neck. And she kept looking at me." When Usagi asked him if her face kept getting redder whenever she looked at him, he nodded. "I don't understand it. Were my questions some sort of human taboo?"

"She likes you," Trunks said flatly, feeling a little bad for the green warrior. "And when a human woman likes someone, they have a hard time focusing on anything else."

"Likes me?"

"_Like_ likes you, Piccolo," Usagi offered patiently. "Like Trunks and I like each other. Like Goku and Chi-Chi like each other." And finally he understood! She smiled in understanding when his face turned a little purple, and his mouth set in a hard line. "What about you?"

"Nameks don't mate," he answered flatly. "We're asexual."

"It doesn't mean you can't have feelings for someone," she replied tartly. "And besides, there are ways around that sort of thing," she added with a chuckle.

"There are?" Trunks whispered, not sure exactly what she meant. "I mean, there's not much way around not having a penis."

"Silver Crystal," Usagi said bluntly. "Dragon Balls. If that's really such a big deal, there are at least two ways to procure the right equipment. In the meantime, though," she continued, looking back to Piccolo, "do you like her? Do you care about her? More than just a friend or a student."

"I don't know," he answered honestly. "I've never thought of that sort of thing before. If I don't, then what do I do?" He finally asked.

"Two options," Trunks said. "You can ignore it, and maybe it's just a dumb crush she has and it'll go away. Or, it's the real deal, and you'll wind up breaking her heart."

The Namek frowned at that. The idea of hurting Makoto, physically or emotionally, was more than a little unsettling. "And if I do?" He rumbled.

"Kissing her would probably be a pretty sure-fire way of showing her how you feel," Usagi advised gently. "Since you don't seem like the type to express yourself with words, using your body would probably be the best way."

Now he was just confused again. "Kissing?"

"Like this," Trunks snorted, pulling Usagi into his arms. He wanted to kiss her hard and passionately, but since this was supposed to be a lesson for Piccolo's benefit, and he didn't want the Namek to get his ass kicked, he just barely brushed his mouth over hers. "Soft and gentle at first, Piccolo. You'll know if she wants you to kiss her harder."

"How?" He asked, clearly intrigued by this lesson in human behavior.

"Watch," Usagi said, brushing her lips over her Saiyan prince's. She gurgled with pleasure when he began to move his mouth over hers a little more firmly, slowly exploring it, before flicking his tongue over the crease of her lips.

Piccolo watched, strangely entranced at the idea of doing such a thing with his green-eyed student. He wondered what she'd taste like, and if she would respond to him so zealously when he slipped his tongue into her mouth, just as Trunks was now doing to Usagi. He paid close attention when he noticed that Trunks's hands were wandering Usagi's body, running over her hips, her breasts, reaching up to caress her face and her throat. "And that will also make her focus better on her training?" He asked curiously.

"No, if anything, it'll make it worse," Usagi huffed, pushing Trunks away so she could catch her breath. She whimpered softly when he jerked her back into his arms and began running his lips over her throat. "God, Trunks, cut that out, we're supposed to be giving Piccolo advice!"

"And I'm giving him a demonstration," he answered seriously, nipping at her jawline.

"So, what you are doing is pleasurable?"

"Yes," Usagi choked out, "now stop it, Trunks, that's enough," she ordered.

"Fine," he sighed. Nipping her throat one last time, he pulled away and grinned at the sight of how flushed she'd become. "And Usagi's wrong, it will help her… at least for a little while. It'll relieve some of the sexual tension she's feeling, and she'll likely relax."

"Only a little while?" Piccolo shook his head, and wondered if there was a more permanent solution.

"Yeah, then you'll have to step it up a bit, probably get her off." Trunks sighed and exhaled in frustration when Piccolo only looked at him blankly. "Alright, time for Sex One-oh-One, Piccolo. Usagi, you might want to go find something else to do."

"Not a problem," she chuckled, taking her leave.

"Ok, Trunks, I'm listening."

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Trunks had advised him to wait until she was vulnerable; either meditating, bathing, or half-asleep, and since Trunks seemed to know what he was talking about, Piccolo followed his advice. She was asleep when he returned, and like most nights, he made sure she was covered up and comfortable in her sleeping bag before retiring to his own.

He woke to the sound of splashing, and knew that this was his chance, without a doubt, so he went straight to the water and stripped before wading in to join her. His eyes flashed with amusement when she automatically sunk into the water to cover her breasts, and she flushed with embarrassment. "There's no point in modesty," he grunted, "not like we haven't washed up in front of each other before."

Mako just turned even redder and sunk down all the way to her chin, treading water as she floated a little further away from him. Why did she have to like him, damn it!? She couldn't ever fall for normal, sweet, _human _guys, could she?

Or at least a man that could actually reciprocate her sexual attraction for him. Mako sighed heavily at that thought and sunk down under the water to wet her hair, before floating back up to wash it. She jumped when she opened her eyes and found him waiting right in front of her. "What?" She asked breathlessly.

"You have the soap," he replied blandly, holding his hand out for it.

Frowning, she shook her head a little. "You can have it when I'm done with it, Piccolo. I still have to wash my hair."

Trunks had advised him to make any and every excuse to touch her, even platonically, swearing that it would help Makoto's sexual frustration. The Namek nodded at that thought. "Then hand it here and I'll help you. I'm in a hurry to start training, and it takes you too damned long to soap up all that hair."

When she shrank back a little and he huffed with impatience, Mako glared at him angrily. Why in the hell was she acting like this? He clearly wasn't interested in her, he hadn't even picked up on the clues she'd been subtly giving him for days. "Fine," she spat, handing over the bottle. If anything, at least it was an excuse to finally feel him touch her outside of training.

She bit down on her lower lip to keep from sighing with pleasure when Piccolo immediately began to soap her hair, careful not to scrape her with his claws as they whispered over her scalp. God, that felt wonderful, just that simple touch seemed to melt her right down to her bones.

He noted the immediate effect his ministrations had on her, and inwardly sighed a little. So, Usagi and Trunks had been right, after all. She did care for him as more than a mentor and friend. For some reason, that made him a little sad, but also curiously excited. Keeping his hands gentle as they massaged the soap into her hair, he wondered what kind of reaction he'd get out of her if he began to touch her like Trunks had instructed him to. Not yet, though, in a few days, maybe. Trunks had been very clear on not moving too fast, and Usagi had seconded that advice upon her return, after their talk about what Trunks called "the birds and the bees."

Makoto gasped, and a tiny moan escaped her lips before she could stop it when his hands brushed her hair to the side and began to slide over the back of her neck and her shoulders. "I—I can do that," she whispered, fighting like hell to keep her heart from pounding its way out of her chest.

"I'm good, but I can't even wash my own back," he said simply, giving her a little nudge towards the shallower water. Piccolo was surprised when she complied and finally stood where the water only came to the tops of her breasts. Was something as simple as touching like this really that effective on a human female?

Apparently it was, because the little bit of her face that he could see looked like she was in heaven as he slowly trailed his soapy hands over her bare skin. "Are you alright?" He asked with a touch of concern, whispering his nails over her sides. He smirked when she shivered and swallowed before giving him the barest of nods.

"I think I'm clean," she murmured, fighting the temptation to lean back into his arms in the hopes that he would understand the invitation. He wouldn't though, she knew he wouldn't, and if he did, he'd likely only be angry with her. Or even worse, amused.

"Then rinse, and wash my back, please," he said flatly.

It wasn't like she could refuse, not after he'd just done the same for her, right? Mako swam into deeper water and submerged herself to rinse the soap from her hair before returning and reaching out for the soap bottle.

The feeling of her smaller, softer hands sliding over his skin was surprisingly pleasant, he noted with a touch of surprise. Piccolo wondered what it would feel like for those hands to touch him in other areas, despite the fact that he was incapable of mating, and shivered at the thought when her fingertips lingered on one of his shoulders, tracing an old scar. He'd enjoy it, he was sure of it, now. Maybe not as much as she would, since Trunks had explained about teasing a woman towards orgasm, but there was mental and emotional pleasure as well, right? Not that he had much experience with the latter of the two, but there was something downright soothing and satisfying about touching her like this.

Piccolo thought about that for a moment, and was amazed at the realization that he would immensely enjoy giving Mako that kind of pleasure, even if he couldn't receive it. Maybe he did care for her more deeply than he'd originally thought.

He relaxed as her hands continued to move over his back gently, smirking a little at the pleasant sensation. This type of touching seemed to relieve the stress and the knots that he carried in his back muscles, and he wondered if it'd had the same effect on her. He sensed her preparing to draw back, and decided that he didn't want her to. Not yet. "That's very relaxing."

Surprised by the compliment, Mako's touch became a little firmer as her fingers glided back to a knot below his shoulder blade and gently applied pressure in a circular motion. If she'd been wearing shorts, she would have jumped out of them when he suddenly moaned. "D—Did I hurt you?"

"No," he rumbled, amazed at how wonderful that had felt. "Feels good." Piccolo's antennae practically curled when her hands grew bolder and confidently began to work at his lower back, massaging the tight muscles. Holy shit, that felt great.

"You've never had a back massage, I take it," she said nonchalantly, grinning a little at the way his flesh was jumping at her touch, and the way he'd tense and make a choked little noise in the back of his throat whenever she moved on to a new knot. "As tight and wound up as your back is, it's no wonder you're always so damned cranky," she wondered aloud. Mako blushed when she realized she'd actually said that. "Sorry."

"This is something humans do?"

Makoto shrugged a little and nodded. "After a workout, yeah, I usually go out and get a massage, especially if I pulled a muscle or if I'm particularly exhausted. It's good for the body to relax." There weren't any knots along his spine, but she couldn't help but run her thumbs down each side of it when she heard him give what sounded like a happy sigh.

"I'll return the favor," he said. It wasn't a question or even an offer, it was a flat statement.

"Oh, no. That's alright," she replied meekly, pulling away from him. Just the thought of his hands moving over her again had her hot and bothered, and she knew all too well what her reaction would be if she felt them on her again.

Piccolo looked back at her in confusion when she stopped, and smirked at the sight of how red her face had become. So, she did want him to touch her; this confirmed it. "Nonsense," he replied easily. This little game was starting to become interesting, even a little fun. "If you're still worried about your stupid human modesty, you can stay in the water, Mako."

"No, really, I'm good," she insisted, quickly wading out. She grabbed a towel, wrapped it around herself, and breathed a sigh of relief when she made it back to their campsite and her clothes.

To Mako's relief, the rest of their day was absolutely normal, and he even commented on how much better she was concentrating that afternoon while they sparred. She blew off his words, since they only made her a little mad; she could tell that he was fishing for an explanation about her inability to pay attention the day before.

When she woke the next morning for training, though, she found that he was already down in the water, and she found herself sighing in frustration. If she didn't know any better, she would have sworn that he was doing this on purpose. But no, he obviously didn't have a damned clue what he was doing to her. Jupiter watched him silently for a moment, drinking in the sight of his bare body. Even the fact that he lacked any male equipment didn't detract from how spectacular all of those bulging muscles looked, combined with an excess of scars that she desperately wanted to run her tongue over.

Sighing with sexual frustration for the millionth time in days, she stomped back to camp and ate some breakfast while she waited for him to finish so she could bathe in privacy.

"I was hoping you'd wash my back," he told her as he came into the clearing, fully dressed. Inwardly, Piccolo was smirking. He'd felt her watching him from the treeline, had scented her arousal on the breeze. This game was becoming awfully fun… and it was time he stepped it up a notch.

"I was hungry," she answered, taking another bite of her eggs to avoid speaking any further.

Piccolo secretly grinned at her constant avoidance of conversation with him every time he opened his mouth that day to suggest something about her technique or her fighting skill. He also took every opportunity to touch her, repositioning her body here and there so that her form was perfect, and felt a surge of triumph whenever she'd shiver at the feel of his hands on her arms, legs, or back.

"Focus," he ordered later that evening, while they lightly sparred above the trees. They were merely cooling down after an intense workout, but he could tell her attention was flagging yet again, like it had the day before last. "Damn it," he growled, when her form slipped yet again, and he floated over to fix her arms. "Tight, hard angles, Makoto. You're like a limp noodle."

She tried her best not to lean back against him when he pressed flush against her back and took her wrists in his hands, guiding them into the proper position.

"You're _too_ tense now, Koto. Loosen up your lower back. Relax a little." Piccolo felt her lean into him and closed his eyes momentarily at the pleasant feeling of holding her. Ok, he did like her. A lot. Who knew that simply holding someone you cared about could feel so good?

Her breath caught in her throat when she could have sworn she felt the tip of his nose graze over the back of her neck. Was he…? No, she was out of her fucking mind to even think that. There was no way in hell that an asexual green alien could possibly be attracted to a human woman. Right…? _Attraction_ wasn't even a possibility, if he couldn't reproduce.

"Much better," he breathed in her ear. "Now try it again."

Mako went through the motions of the exercise before claiming that she was tired, just so she could get the hell out of there before she did something utterly insane, and headed straight for the water to wash away the day's sweat and blood. He'd worked her harder than usual, to the point of exhaustion, and she knew she was going to wind up skipping supper just so she could crash the moment she returned to camp.

She jumped when she felt eyes on her in the twilight, followed by the quiet sound of someone wading into the water.

"Just me," Piccolo's voice rumbled in the fading light. "Cleaning a cut. Could you hand me the soap?"

Mako waded in until the water came to her chest, and tossed him the bottle. "Make sure it doesn't get infected. I'll wrap it when I'm done if you'd like."

He grunted his thanks and washed the cut thoroughly; he'd let her hit him earlier, just above the knee, only so he'd have an excuse to follow her to the water later. "I could use a bath as well," he said flatly.

Mako opened her mouth to protest, but knew that it would seem suspicious if she did so. Fucking asshole, was he doing this to her on purpose!? Still, she found herself watching him strip as she moved further out into the water where he couldn't see her eyes on his muscular figure. She sighed a little at the sight of him. God, he was beautiful, and he obviously had no clue just how attractive he was.

She floated there while he washed up, feeling a little sad at the knowledge that she could never have him. Not only were they not even the same species, they couldn't even have sex. Not that she absolutely needed that for a relationship, but those things kind of went hand in hand.

God, the thought of a relationship with Piccolo was just ludicrous, anyway. He'd made it clear several times that he barely tolerated her presence, so why was she even holding onto hope for such a ridiculously impossible thing?

Piccolo swam over silently, following her ki signature, and found her deep in thought. Was she thinking about him? Or was he simply flattering himself? "Soap."

Mako jumped and sunk back down to her neck; she'd been floating on her back, fully exposed. "Thanks." She frowned when she tried to take the bottle and he wouldn't let it go. "I can't very well wash my hair if I don't have the soap, Piccolo."

"You're practically dozing in the water, woman. Back in the shallow end, and I'll wash it for you. Then you're getting some rest." He smirked when she tugged at the bottle again, but her resistance was futile. "I won't have my student out here drowning from sheer stubbornness."

"Fine!" She snapped, hoping the outburst hurt his sensitive ears. She swam over to where the water still covered her, and crossed her arms with a huff. "Wash my damned hair already," she growled.

Determined to turn that noise of frustration into one of pleasure, he did as she ordered and proceeded to run his fingers through the chestnut curls as he carefully soaped them up. He knew he heard her sigh when he ran his nails over her scalp, so he did it again, this time trailing them to the back of her neck.

Thankfully it was dark, so he could watch her face without worrying about her weaker human eyes catching him at it. Her eyes were slipping shut as he continued, her mouth opening slightly, and he could hear how ragged her breaths were coming as he moved to her shoulders and began to mimic the way she'd massaged his back the day before.

"Mmm… no, don't—" she whispered weakly.

"Why?" He grunted. Why indeed? She was obviously taking great pleasure in his touch, so why was she protesting? Humans were so damned confusing.

"Tired," she answered, being half honest with him. "I'll fall asleep in the water," she admitted.

Sure enough, it did look like she was about to doze off right there. "Rinse," he ordered, almost gently, and kept a hand on her arm just in case when she dipped under the water and got the soap out of her hair. He led her from the water, and with a touch, used his ki to dry both of them before handing her her clothes and shrugging his own back on. "I worked you too hard."

"No, I'm fine," she yawned. "Just a lot on my mind lately."

"Such as?" He prodded. Judging from her blush, and the glare she was giving him, he knew exactly what she'd been thinking about.

They were silent as they returned to camp, but rather than lying down, Makoto dug in her pack and beckoned him over. "Sit. Let me see the leg," she ordered. Thanks to Piccolo's regenerative abilities, it was already healing nicely, so it didn't need any stitches.

Piccolo didn't miss the way her fingers were just barely brushing over his knee as she examined the injury, and he had to admit that her touch felt wonderful. He let her treat and wrap it without comment, but made sure he thanked her afterwards. "You should probably lie down," he suggested.

Mako nodded stiffly; she was simply exhausted. "Night, then, Piccolo."

He drank his water silently as he watched her settle down out of the corner of his eye, but was surprised to see her fidget and toss and turn. "You alright?"

She'd be damned if she was going to admit how sore she was. Piccolo, of all people, didn't tolerate whining for a damned minute, and she was not going to start. "I'm fine," she lied, rolling her shoulder to loosen it a bit as she turned onto her left side.

"Lay down on your stomach," he ordered. His voice was stony and without emotion, but he was pleased that his plan had worked out as he'd hoped. He knew if he worked her hard enough, she'd be sore and tight and wouldn't refuse his offer of a massage.

Mako rolled a little, only so she could glare up at him with one green eye, but he was faster than her. She opened her mouth to protest when she felt his hands pushing up her tunic, but the moment they touched her bare back, she melted.

He smiled a little when he felt her go limp, and slowly ran his fingers down the length of her back, making her shiver. The Namek located a knot almost immediately, and when he began to rub it, eliciting a whimper from her throat, he stopped. "Painful?"

"No," she gasped, "it felt good." Really good. She was wound so tight that it was taking everything not to roll over and jerk him down into her arms, his reaction to it be damned. Then he was rubbing that knot again, and she sagged into her blankets.

Kami, this woman was tough. Piccolo carefully inspected the bruises that covered her back, knowing that they had all come from that day's training, and felt a pang of remorse for hurting her. If she'd even flinched during their sparring matches, he would have lightened up on the barrage of attacks, but she'd taken every hit without complaint, as was her habit. She was, without argument, his best student ever.

He ran his thumb over a bruise just above her hip. "Sorry," he grunted. "I kicked you too hard."

"I cut your leg," she mumbled sleepily. "We're even." Mako sighed with pleasure when his hands moved over her shoulders and moved with such skill that it was a wonder that he'd never done this before. "You're a really fast learner."

"Good teacher," he replied with a smirk, slowly working his way down her back, brushing his nails over her skin on occasion just to hear her purr with delight. He stopped and focused on her hips when a moan escaped her mouth. "It's sore there?"

No, but she wasn't about to admit it. "Yeah," she whispered, trying not to doze off. She felt his fingers continue at her hips, and when his thumbs stretched out a little to knead the muscles towards her spine, her eyes rolled back in ecstasy. "Huh?" She asked, when she heard him rumble softly, just as she was falling asleep.

Piccolo smiled down at her half-lidded expression. She really was beautiful. And just because he was Namekian didn't mean he couldn't appreciate beauty. "I asked if I got all the knots."

"Neck?" She mumbled, opening her eyes just enough to find him watching her. And the look in his eyes was so intense… "But you don't… I'm fine, I mean." Makoto whimpered when his fingers reached up to stroke the sensitive skin of her neck, and found herself relaxing yet again. God, it was sweet torture, having him touch her like that, but being completely unable to do anything about it.

She started dozing again while his hand carefully worked the stiffness out of her neck, but felt herself rousing when his fingers travelled over her jaw, then brushed against her lips.

The Namek heard her breathe his name in a tone he'd never heard her use before, and immediately bent down to replace the fingers on her lips with his own mouth. He kept it light, even when he felt her mouth move against his while she slept.

Hm. It was pleasant, this kissing thing. Piccolo leaned back and watched her sleep for several minutes while he mulled over his body's reaction to her. He felt… happy. A little tingly, even. And warm all over.

After tucking her blankets around her to be sure she wouldn't catch a chill, he bravely leaned in and kissed her one more time, tasting her lower lip with his tongue. She tasted sweet, which surprised him, and it brought to mind the way Trunks had kissed Usagi. Would the rest of her taste that divine? Unable to help himself, he tasted her throat next, and shuddered in reaction.

He needed to speak with Usagi, and right away.

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"It sounds like desire to me, Piccolo." Usagi just shrugged and flopped on the couch next to her grinning mate when the Namek growled at her. "Don't ask me to explain how or why, because frankly, I have no fucking idea."

"Neither do I," Trunks admitted, "but it is pretty fucking funny." He laughed outright when Piccolo starting swearing at him in Namekian. "Oh please, you'd find it amusing if it was anyone else, and you know it."

"Fine," he sputtered. Piccolo remembered the way his body had clenched at the taste of Makoto's skin, and how he'd… needed. But needed what, damn it!? It's not like he had the body part necessary to fulfill that need! "What's the solution, then?"

Usagi cleared her throat and tried not to laugh at him; she really did feel bad for him, in a way. "Sorry, Piccolo. I don't find it funny as much as I do amusingly ironic. So… you do care for her, then?" He'd filled her in on everything that had happened over the past few days, leaving nothing out, but he'd neglected to mention whether or not he had feelings for the princess of Jupiter.

She watched him swallow slowly and hesitantly nod. "That's nothing to be ashamed of, Piccolo. Love is a good thing, and it's even better when you have someone to share it with. Why don't you just tell her how you feel?" Usagi sighed when he grunted and shook his head. "Ok, then. Show her, Piccolo. That's a lot easier, isn't it?"

"What if she…?"

God, was Piccolo actually shuffling his feet like a nervous, hormonal teenager? "What if she what?" Trunks asked incredulously. "I wanted to tell you before, but… dude, I saw the way she looked at you the last time we came out to the clearing. The girl's madly in love with you. She's not going to reject you, trust me. It's a sure thing."

He chewed on his bottom lip for a moment before nodding slowly. The Namek didn't even want to think of the possibility of Makoto rejecting him; he was amazed at how much that idea hurt. So, this was what love felt like. It was similar to the affection he felt for Gohan, but much, much stronger. "Alright then. I'll show her."

"Come back and let me know how it goes," Usagi ordered. "You have no clue how curious I am to see how this turns out."

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Makoto stared at the plate next to the fire and simply blinked in astonishment. There was food on it. And since Piccolo didn't eat, it must have been meant for her. The thought of him brought a blush to her cheeks. She'd dreamed of him kissing her in her sleep; the feeling of his lips on hers had been everything she'd dreamed of and more. They were softer than she'd expected, and when he'd flicked his tongue out to taste her, she had melted into him.

And now, after the most sensual back massage she'd ever received, and dreams about kisses that made her head spin, she found breakfast waiting for her when he'd never prepared something for her to eat before. Ever.

The Senshi of lightning sat down in front of the fire and tentatively took a bite of the toasted bread, smeared with some sort of jam, and groaned with approval. She didn't know what the jam was made of, but it was delicious. She'd have to either con the recipe out of him, or find out where he'd gotten it.

Piccolo watched her silently from the trees, and felt satisfied when she seemed to like the food he'd left for her. If only she'd known how many pieces of bread he'd toasted before he'd figured out how not to burn them. He'd buried the remains of his first ten attempts somewhere out in the woods; hopefully she'd never find them. The fruit had been a lot easier, at least, thank Dende.

Speaking of Dende, it wouldn't be a bad idea to visit him and get his opinion on the whole situation; advice from another Namek would be most welcome.

Makoto looked up at him warmly when she sensed his ki coming through the trees. "Thank you for breakfast," she said softly.

Piccolo grunted and nodded. "I have to go to the Lookout today, so you have the day off from training." He held her by the shoulder when she shied away from his attempt to look at the bruises on her back, and lifted her shirt to her bra line. "Get Usagi to heal those while I'm gone," he said gruffly.

"I'm fine," she insisted, "it's going to happen during sparring, Piccolo, it's unavoidable." Mako shivered when his thumb brushed over the worst of the bruises, the one near her right hip, and turned her face to look at him. Her breath caught in her throat when that motion put her face less than an inch from his, and it unnerved her when he didn't move. "Piccolo?"

The Namek was trying awfully hard to breathe as well; his arm was already around her waist, the only thing he had to do was pull her in, or lean forward, and he'd be kissing her. His fingers whispered over her bare skin once more before he slowly, reluctantly, pulled away. "I'll see you at sundown, then."

Jupiter sat down hard on the dirt when he flew off, totally stunned by what had just happened. They'd damn near kissed, and unless she was imagining things, the look in his eyes had clearly said that he'd wanted to. "Oh my God, I should have just kissed him," she groaned, running her fingers through her hair.

Once she finally had her raging hormones and heartbeat under control, she flew towards Capsule Corp a lot faster than she normally would have, needing to feel the rush of the wind in her face. She needed to do something about this, damn it. She needed to either make some sort of move, or distance herself from him both physically and emotionally.

"Mako-chan!"

She waved at Usagi as she floated to the earth, and hugged her friend a little tighter than necessary. Usagi would have the answers she needed, without a doubt. "Hey."

The blonde sighed knowingly when she pulled back and saw just how confused and miserable her friend looked. "Come on, I already know that you need to talk."

"That obvious?"

"I seem to be doing an awful lot of talking lately," she answered cryptically, leading Mako into the gravity room. "Out, Tousan!" She ordered sternly. "Unless you want to hear a little girl talk."

"Feh, girl. This is _my_ gravity room time!" Vegeta smirked at Makoto and sniffed the air. "I can smell that Namek all over you, girl." He knew he'd hit the nail on the head when she blushed and his daughter glared daggers at him, pointing at the door. "So… is what they say true? Is he… ill equipped?"

"Vegeta, you're such a fucking douchebag!" Usagi yelled at him, flinging a haphazard ki blast at him in her anger.

"Heh, I'm just fucking with you." He smirked, though, glad he still had the old touch. He'd obviously hit a nerve. "Alright, fine, Usagi. You've got fifteen minutes while I eat something."

The moon princess slammed the door behind him when he walked out. "God! I love him to death, but I just want to wring his fucking neck sometimes! No fucking tact!" She sighed heavily and looked up at her friend, who looked damned close to tears. "Oh, honey, don't cry. You know Tousan's just being his usual self."

Makoto sniffled when Usagi hugged her. "I'm fine, I'm just so damned confused."

She already knew what was wrong, but she feigned innocence for Piccolo's sake. "So, what Tousan said is true… Piccolo? Really?"

She nodded. "I think I'm in love with him. For real, Usagi. Not like with all of my old sempais. This… I think this is the real deal. And… I have no clue what to do about it. We're not even the same species."

"I think you need to get your feelings in the open before you even worry about the fact that he's an alien with no junk," Usagi chuckled. "Tell him. What's the worst that could happen?"

"Um… duh. The _worst_? He won't train me anymore, and he's no longer my friend. He'll laugh at me. We won't even be able to look each other in the eye. I'll never see him again. He'll hate me," she added in a fearful whisper.

Usagi sighed and shook her head. "No, Mako. The worst that could happen? You'd both be a little embarrassed. He'd be awfully confused, probably. Then you'd both nervously laugh it off, pretend like it never happened, and go right back to the way things were."

"That's almost as bad as the other possibilities." She hung her head and snorted. "I don't know what to do."

"Well… what's happened so far?" Usagi already knew, of course, but she was going to have to get Mako's story if she could give advice without Mako knowing that Piccolo had already been to visit. She listened carefully, nodding at all the right parts, until her friend finally stopped talking.

"So… what do I do?"

"Makoto, honey. You're retarded," Usagi said with an amused smile. "Think about it. Have you _ever _seen Piccolo let anyone touch him outside of training? That should be the telltale sign, but there's quite a few others."

"Such as?" She asked, daring to let hope bloom in her heart for a brief, shining moment.

"He's touching you in return. He actually apologized for a bruise. I don't know about you, but I don't think I've ever heard Piccolo apologize for breaking bones during a sparring match. And he actually got a little snappy about you getting it healed. Oh, and he actually made you breakfast? That's just like… wow. And I'm not even going to mention that near kiss. I'll bet that was smokin' hot, girl."

"Yeah, it was," Jupiter admitted, suddenly feeling quite a bit better. When laid out right in front of her, the signs were totally clear. "I should have kissed him," she muttered, kicking at the gravity room floor.

"Eh, you live, you learn. I'm sure you won't hesitate next time. Now… what do you want to do about what Tousan so crassly mentioned?"

"Do?" Makoto shrugged. "What _can_ you do, Usa? I'll—we'll—fuck if I know," she finished lamely. "I… guess I'll just live without it."

Usagi grinned, pleased with her conclusion. "You really love him, then."

"Yeah," Makoto sighed, "I do. If it means I can't have sex or have kids, then so be it. I can be happy with just him, if he wants me."

"Hm… that might not be necessary. Don't get your hopes up, but I have an idea. Just see how it goes with him, first, then we'll talk."

##################

Piccolo was more than a little annoyed to know that Dende had been watching him from the Lookout, but at least that meant he didn't have to divulge everything that had happened during the last week. He would be spared that much embarrassment.

"It's not that uncommon, you know."

He looked down at Dende and scowled. "What's not?"

"Our kind, falling in love with a member of another species. Just because we can't express physical love, doesn't mean we aren't capable of feeling it, Piccolo. Kami felt love; you know he did."

Piccolo merely huffed and looked away. He was not dignifying that with an answer.

Dende was thankfully used to the older Namek's refusal to talk whenever something was bothering him. "If you'd like to know how she feels, you could always use the Lookout," he suggested. "I think you'll be pleasantly surprised."

"I already know," he growled. "I'm not stupid, Dende."

"Then tell me again why you're even here?" He chuckled. Dende only laughed harder when Piccolo glared at him. "Moral support, maybe?"

"This isn't funny."

"The fact that you're in love isn't, no. Your confusion and reluctance to face it is. I don't think any of us have ever seen you run away from anything."

"I'm not running," he snapped angrily.

"Ok, then. Hiding," Dende amended, smiling when Piccolo snorted and took off from the Lookout, headed back towards the earth. Apparently the little god had made his point.

##################

Makoto indulged in a hot shower while she was at Capsule Corp, and at Usagi's suggestion, a meal she hadn't actually cooked herself. It was a guilty pleasure that she very rarely got to indulge in, since she'd been training with a certain Namek for nearly a year in the wilderness.

She even put on a new outfit and let her other one wash while Usa helped her pick out some more clothes. Some to train in, some to sleep in, a couple outfits just to look good in. She hoped liked hell that she'd actually get a chance to wear those skirts that she'd nervously added to the growing pile of stuff she was taking back.

Minako joined them at some point, comforting Makoto in understanding when Usagi told her what was going on and Jupiter looked like she was going to either cry or bolt. Or both. "It's ok, honey," she said with an easy grin. "Being the princess of love and desire, it's only fitting that I show up." With that, she whipped out her purse and sat Mako down in the nearest chair.

"No, no, no," Jupiter said quickly, shaking her head when she saw the armful of makeup that Mina had pulled from the subspace pocket hidden in her purse. "No makeup, Minako, he'll take one look at me and know that something's up."

"Nah, I'm just gonna doll you up a little. Just enough to make your eyes pop, and your lips stand out. Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."

Afraid that Mina was going to duct tape her to the chair if she didn't acquiesce, Mako sagged in her seat and let the Senshi of love go to work. She was true to her word, at least. She'd only put a touch of eyeliner on her, a coat of lipstick, and just the slightest hint of blush. Piccolo probably wouldn't even notice the difference.

Wait. Was that a good thing or a bad thing?

"You look good enough to eat," Usagi said brightly, giving her a saucy wink. "Hopefully something other than water will be on the Namekian menu tonight."

Mako's jaw dropped and she slapped Usa's arm. "Oh my God, I can't _believe_ that you just fucking said that!"

"I think she's been spending too much time with Vegeta," Mina snickered.

"God, now he's trolling me vicariously through you," Mako groaned. "I'll bet he even planned that, somehow."

"With Tousan, you never know," Usagi admitted grimly. She usually kept up pretty well with her father-in-law's banter and meddling, but sometimes he slipped one past her radar. He truly was a mastermind at fucking with people. "Come on, let's hurry up," she said, looking out the window. "He said he'd see you at sunset, right?"

"Right," Mako agreed, trying not to look as nervous as she felt.


	2. Chapter 2

**I meant to post an author's note on the first chapter but plumb forgot. Anyways, I just wanted to stress that while, YES, there will be smut in this fanfic, just like all my others (hey, I know you enjoy it, or you wouldn't be reading it), this fic has a special place in my heart because it's more about love, emotion, and self-love more than anything else. Ish sho floofy in parts, and I hope yall enjoy it!**

She could feel his ki in the clearing when she touched down out in the woods, and took a deep breath to steady herself before waltzing in like nothing was going on and setting her bags near her pack. She gave him a tiny smile when he looked at her, and then the bags. "Usagi and Minako seem to think I need more than a few sparring outfits. Girls," she chuckled.

Piccolo watched her unpack them into her subspace, taking this chance to really study her. Had she spoken with Usagi? If she had, there was no indication that the moon princess had revealed anything to the princess of Jupiter.

The silence went on for a long few minutes, and the normally stoic Piccolo was fishing for something, anything to say to her to break the ice. Damn it, how in the hell did humans even _do_ this? They had to have some sort of secret, otherwise more humans would never get made, right?

So caught up in thought about ways to initiate a conversation with her, he nearly breathed a sigh of relief when she was the one to approach him.

"How's the leg?" She asked seriously. Mako waited patiently for him to pull up the cuff of his loose training pants to bare the area above his knee. Her fingers were quick and gentle as they removed the bandage and finally brushed over the light mark that would likely be gone by the next morning. "Looks good."

She jumped a little when he pulled up the back of her shirt while she was bent over, and she felt his claws whisper over her hip, where her bruise had been that morning. Mako closed her eyes for a brief moment to steady her nerves before looking up at him.

As if they were in a replay of that morning, their faces were a mere inch apart. "Piccolo?" She asked, her voice shaky and barely above a whisper. And then she felt his nose brush against hers as he bent forward, as if in slow motion, just before his lips ever so slightly made contact with her own. She whispered his name again, only this time it was a sound of desire.

"Koto… do you…" Piccolo swallowed hard as the hand laying over his newly-healed cut slid up his leg, to his hip, and around his waist. And then he was kissing her again, just like Trunks and Usagi had shown him, keeping it light and slow. His hands pulled her closer, tugging her into his lap, and he growled with approval when she moaned against his lips.

It was his turn to moan when he felt her tongue questing for entry, and he opened his mouth to tangle his tongue with hers, savoring the light, sweet taste of her. "Koto," he gasped, pulling away when he felt her beginning to tremble in his arms, "I—I can't…"

"I know," she whispered tenderly, resting her head on his chest. "And it's ok, Piccolo. I'm content just to have you in my life."

"Dende, woman," he rumbled softly, shuddering with desire as he tasted her neck. Her words filled him with such a strong emotion that he couldn't even find a way to verbally express it. "I don't deserve you," he finally murmured, his lips travelling up and down her throat in a slow, lazy motion.

"Piccolo, please… that feels wonderful, but I need you to stop," she gasped, when he began to nibble at her earlobe.

"Why?" He cupped her face in his hand and stroked his thumb gently over her lips, and gasped when she bit down on it playfully.

"Because, it's making me…" Mako blushed and her eyes darted away from him in embarrassment.

"I won't leave you unsatisfied," he growled seductively. "I'd never do that to you."

"But, that's hardly fair to you, Piccolo… I want you to enjoy it, too." No sooner had she said that, he was trembling at the feel of one of her fingers idly stroking an antenna, his eyes slipping shut. "Does that…?"

Piccolo gave a breathy moan, confirming her suspicions, and he clutched at her tightly when she leaned up and ran the tip of her tongue first over one, then the other. "Koto, stop," he ordered, the words coming out sounding like a whimper. "It… it feels _too_ good, it feels like I'm going to die."

"What a way to go, right?" She chuckled, taking one of them in her mouth and sucking lightly. Mako was rewarded with another moan, this one louder than the last, but before she could switch to its twin to give it the same treatment, she was shoved roughly onto her back. He was kissing her again, this time desperately, sliding one hand up her shirt while the other was tugging her skirt up to her hips.

Mako whimpered as he broke the kiss just long enough to jerk her shirt over her head, while the hand pulling at the fabric of her dress slid boldly between her legs. "Piccolo, oh God, please—" Her eyes rolled back in rapture when he kissed her forcefully once more and pulled away her underwear, slipping his fingers into her heat to stroke her.

Piccolo groaned when her hips arched against him and she clutched at him as if she were hanging on for dear life. His mouth went to her breasts as he slowly thrust his fingers inside of her and he reveled in her soft cries of pleasure. "That's it, Koto, come for me. I want you satisfied," he breathed, raking his tongue over a nipple before drawing it into his mouth, taking care not to hurt her with his sharper-then-normal teeth.

His words pushed her over the edge, and she cried out in ecstasy as she stiffened against him and spiraled upwards, his name on her lips. And then she was floating back down , kissing him tenderly, stroking his antennae once again. "I love you, Piccolo," she whispered gently.

"You're shaking," he observed, not quite ready to say how he felt for her out loud, more than a little shocked at what they'd just done, and how responsive she had been to him, of all people. And her confession… it did something to him, made him soften in a way he didn't think he was capable of. "Did I hurt you?"

"No, honey, no," she chuckled, shaking her head. "Quite the opposite, I promise. That was the best thing I've ever felt in my life." Mako blinked, looked down at her state of undress, and blushed. "Where… how did you even know how to do that, anyway?" She asked curiously.

"Trunks," he admitted, his face turning slightly purple. "He and I had a talk a few days ago."

"Well. It seems that I owe him an awfully big thank you," she said saucily, pulling at the top to his gi. Her mouth instantly went to his throat once it was on the ground, and she sighed happily when he purred with pleasure. "I wish there was some way to do for you like you just did for me."

"Maybe in time," he grunted, sliding her skirt down her hips to completely bare her. Piccolo groaned when he moved his mouth back to her breasts, only to feel her lips closing over his antenna once more. "Koto, you need to stop that. They're extremely sensitive, and I can't focus on anything while you're…" The rest of that sentence was cut off by a groan when she twirled her tongue around the end and gave it a little suck. "Dear Kami," he whispered, completely overwhelmed with pleasure by what she was doing to him.

Makoto merely continued the slow, gentle motions of her mouth, flicking her tongue against him on occasion. She clutched at his back encouragingly when he began to shake against her, softly crying out her name, caught between the urge to beg her to stop and the desire to let her continue to her heart's content.

And then it happened; he seemed to reach some sort of peak, and he stiffened in her arms, his breathing coming in short gasps as he let out a ragged moan of pleasure. It took several minutes before he could do more than lie on top of her and fight for air, but he finally looked up at her slowly in a mix of shock and awe. "Is that what you felt?" He asked in wonder.

"I'm pretty sure it was," she answered gently. "Would you like for me to do it again?" Mako ran her tongue slowly over the other antenna, and smiled when he began to tremble once more.

"No," he groaned, sliding down her smoothly, just out of the reach of her mouth. "It's your turn, now."

Piccolo moved down slowly, tasting her skin as he went, his claws whispering over her inner thighs as he continued to gently tease his way between her legs. He smirked when his tongue finally found her heat, and she arched into him, whimpering desperately for more.

Trunks hadn't gone into detail about this sort of thing, so he moved his mouth over her slowly, searching for what would give her the most pleasure. He growled in satisfaction when he found it, a small nub of flesh hidden in her folds, that when stroked, made her moan and writhe beneath him. "Right there?"

"Yes, Piccolo, please… please don't stop…" She moved against him in surrender when his fingers thrust into her slowly, while his tongue continued to taste her, paying special attention to that tiny bundle of nerves. Mako didn't last long under that second tender assault; her hands were clutching at his shoulders in desperation as she began to peak, sliding up to his head to run her fingers over his antennae.

She had the presence of mind to keep from squeezing those sensitive appendages, and moved her hands back to his shoulders to dig her nails into him when she suddenly crested, her mind going blank of everything but the pleasure washing through her body.

Makoto hadn't even started to recover when she felt his mouth moving over hers once more, kissing her heatedly, while his hands explored her slowly. Out of sheer instinct, her legs went around his waist, and she rocked against him, her body wanting nothing more than to feel him buried inside of her.

Piccolo felt a wave of regret that he couldn't give her what she so obviously craved, so he settled for pushing his fingers into her again, drawing a long, needy moan from her throat. "Come for me again, Koto," he whispered, thrusting inside of her slowly, keeping the motions of his hand soft and gentle.

"Harder," she choked, moving her hips in time with him. Her mouth closed over one of his antennae, and she began to suck on it lightly, twirling her tongue around it in that lazy motion that made his mind go deliriously blank. She sighed with pleasure when he groaned something in his native language, and the thrusting inside of her became hard and rough, taking her higher.

They peaked together, both of them delirious from the effect, and when they finally came down just enough to function past the ebbing pleasure, they both chuckled in unison. "Wow," Makoto sighed happily, cracking her eyes open to find him smiling at her. A real, genuine smile, too, not just one of his usual little smirks. "I love you so much," she whispered, leaning forward to press her lips to his.

Piccolo rolled them to their sides, kissing her with everything he had, as he pulled his sleeping bag up around them. She was getting cold as the night wore on, he could tell by the way she was shivering. "Sleep with me," he mumbled into her hair, once he'd broken away to tuck her tightly against him. He heard her reply so softly that even his ears didn't pick it up, while she pillowed her head on his chest, her arms and legs wrapped around him. `

#############

The Namek woke to the feeling of warmth, both physical and emotional, and cracked his eyes open to find a sleeping, gorgeous, and very naked Senshi of lightning snuggled up to him. He smiled slowly as the memory of the night before came to him. She loved him. She'd said it not once, but twice. And while he'd never put much stock in that emotion before, Piccolo could now understand why so many humans did.

Something about this woman had been making him… _feel_… for the last several months, but he'd ignored it as he usually ignored most emotion. Who would have thought that giving into the tender feelings that had been growing for her could have wound up being so pleasurable? Now he understood how even someone like Vegeta had been swayed to take a human lover. Dende, it was an awfully nice feeling.

He also suddenly understood the possessive nature that all of those idiotic male Saiyans felt for their women. Piccolo stopped at that thought.

_His_ woman. His eyes slid shut, and he shivered with a delight that surprised him, pulling her tightly to him. "My woman," he whispered. He said it once more, enjoying the way the words sounded coming out of his mouth.

"You're starting to sound like Trunks or Vegeta," Makoto purred into his chest. "Not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing. But I don't mind confirming it, Piccolo. I'm very much yours, as long as you want me," she whispered, kissing his smooth green skin, fingers caressing his jawline.

He found her looking up at him, her emerald eyes vulnerable and swimming with tears as she waited for his response. "I do," he grunted softly. Piccolo merely continued to gaze at her perfection, trailing a claw down her cheek, while he wondered what came next.

"We slept pretty late," Mako finally whispered. "Would you like to go train for a while?"

"Do you want to, Koto?" Piccolo sighed happily when her hands slid over him without aim; she clearly only wanted just to touch him, and he was far from complaining.

Imagine that, she wanted to touch _him_, the ugly green alien that terrified most humans just with the mere sight of him. And by some humorous miracle, this woman had never been put off by his appearance, let alone afraid. Not only that, but she was somehow romantically attracted to him. The notion was more than a little staggering.

"I've never known you to just lie around all day," she teased. "Besides, something tells me that I'll have a much easier time concentrating today."

"Ah, so she _finally_ decides to tell me," he chuckled lightly. That sound turned into a laugh when she blushed and thumped his chest with false annoyance, the first genuine laugh he had ever uttered in his life. Dende, what was this feeling? He felt… light.

"And what would you have done if I'd told you?" She snorted.

Piccolo paused at that, furrowing his brow. "I don't know," he admitted, "but I think the results would have eventually been the same." They would have gone differently, for sure; his reaction to such a confession would not have gone over well right away. He knew without a doubt he would have likely made her cry if she'd blindsided him like that, without the luxury of some time to think it over, like he'd had when he'd gone to question Usagi.

But it would have gone the same in the long run, he knew it; he would have eventually apologized once he'd had a chance to analyze the feelings he'd been brushing off for months, and she would have still found herself tangled up with him in his sleeping bag. Eventually, anyway.

"Good to know," Mako said smugly. She smiled when she tried to rise and he tugged her back down, his arms wrapping around her possessively. This, she could definitely get used to.

##############

They eventually got around to training on that first day, but it didn't last long before one of them—neither of them could have said which—wound up taking the other to the ground in a flurry of kissing and petting and moans of pleasure, rather than kicks and punches and ki blasts.

Things only cooled down once Makoto started her period, but during that week, Piccolo still found himself needing to feel her in his arms, and insisted that she still share his sleeping space despite the fact that she was bleeding.

It was during that week that they did more talking than they had during the whole time he'd been training her. They'd talked a little since that first passionate night, but usually that talking was cut short when one of them started teasing the other a little too much and they wound up on the ground next to the campfire, a little too busy to do any speaking.

But while she was cramping harder than normal and trying not to bitch about the discomfort— since the first time she'd ever complained about it during her stay with him had earned her a punch and an order to suck it up—she told him about her younger days as a Senshi, and eventually about her life growing up alone, raising herself.

And then he'd disappeared for a little while, returning with some green shoots in hand, and had prepared a drink for her over the fire that would relieve her cramping. God, what a man; she'd nearly cried from the damned menstrual hormones when he'd told her what the plants were for, a tender hint in his eyes as he'd steeped them in some hot water.

After a few more nights, he'd told her about his father, how he'd come into being for the sole purpose of destroying Goku, and finally how he'd become that same man's ally and friend. While he'd been telling his story, he'd avoided looking at her, but once it was done, he turned his head. He'd expected horror, rejection, disgust, maybe even hatred or worse yet… pity. But to his unending amazement of this woman, there'd been only a gentle glimmer of love for him, and infinite acceptance of who and what he was, and what he'd become as a result of it.

He'd wished desperately at that moment that she hadn't been bleeding; he wanted nothing more than to take her to the ground and show her with his hands and mouth how much he cared for her, since he was incapable of speaking it aloud. That was also the first time he considered seeing Usagi, to find out if something more with Makoto would be possible. But he'd settled for kissing her then, hoping to convey the gratitude he felt for simply having her in his life and by his side.

It was also during that week that he finally acknowledged to himself that what he felt for her truly was love, and wondered if it was the part of him that was Kami that made him even capable of such a thing. If he hadn't merged with his better half years ago, would he even be capable of having feelings for anyone?

Yes, he decided. Even the Demon King could have feelings; his tutelage of Gohan had proven that.

In the moments when he felt it the strongest, he found himself simply gazing at her in adoration, mixed with a quiet awe that she could even possibly feel the same for someone like him after what he'd revealed to her about his past. But she did love him, and told him often, never expecting him to reply in kind.

Once that week was over, it was right back to unbridled passion on both their parts, especially since Piccolo had admitted his feelings for her, at least to himself. But every time he brought her to climax, he wanted to give her more, especially during the urgent moment when her hips would rock into his, her body silently pleading for completion.

It was a month before he finally made his decision and sought out Usagi, making the excuse of giving his human lover a break to wash her clothes, since she never had time to clean them anymore. She'd laughed at that, and made it very clear that he was to blame for that problem, since every waking minute that they weren't training was spent tucked into one of their sleeping bags.

The moon princess was surprised to finally see him; she'd expected him to come to her much sooner, but hadn't wanted to meddle in Makoto's love life any more than she already had. "So… did you two?" She waggled her eyebrows and grinned when he turned purple.

"Yes," he finally answered, his face nearly indigo by the time he spoke. "She doesn't know I'm here, though. I want… Koto, she deserves…"

Usagi sighed and smiled in understanding, patting him gently on the shoulder. "It's ok, I know, Piccolo. You want to be able to make love to her for real, right?"

"More than anything, yes."

Trunks opened the door to the gravity room and smiled at the sight of Piccolo paying them a visit. "You called me, Usa?"

Piccolo rolled his eyes. "I don't need Trunks to tell me how mating is done," he said flatly.

"No… but Trunks is better equipped to tell you what to expect, and answer any questions you may have, since he's male." Usagi pulled her henshin broach from the bodice of her shirt, and opened it. She tipped the lotus-shaped crystal into her hand, and slowly held it out to Piccolo. "Now… I can't make any guarantees, surely you know that."

He nodded. "Of course not. But Usagi, I thank you for this. For at least giving me this chance to…" He flushed a little. "You know."

"Don't even mention it, Piccolo. I'm doing this for Mako just as much as you. Now… when you take it, make a wish in your heart. The crystal has a mind of its own, so I'm not sure what the results will be. Oh," she said quickly, pulling back her hand for a moment, "you'd better be ready for children, too. I have a feeling that this is going to be all or nothing."

Piccolo hesitated at that, and frowned.

"Think about it before you make a decision, Piccolo," Usagi said softly. "If you need more time, neither of us would even think of blaming you."

"No… I'd just never thought of that possibility. Does Koto want children?" It wasn't like they'd ever broached the subject, since it wasn't even a possibility, so he didn't even know the answer.

"Mako's wanted children all her life, Piccolo."

The Namek felt a flutter in his chest at the knowledge that she'd sacrificed a life-long dream, just for him. And he was more than willing to return that sacrifice. "Give me the damned crystal," he said firmly, holding out his hand once more.

Usagi nearly "aawwed" at such a sweet gesture; he really was deeply in love with Jupiter, even if he couldn't or wouldn't voice it. Touched by his love for her friend, she carefully placed the crystal in his hand and stepped back when he was gradually engulfed in a bright silver light.

When it died down, her and her mate just waited, watching Piccolo intensely. "Well?" Trunks finally asked. "Did it work?"

"I feel strange," Piccolo mumbled.

Growing impatient, Usagi stepped forward and simply pulled the hem of his pants forward, looking down. "**Wow**."

"It worked, then?" Trunks chuckled. Judging from his mate's expression, it had worked _very_ well.

"He's gonna kill her with that thing," she replied tartly, releasing the hem and stepping back. "You ok, Piccolo?" She asked in concern. Usagi wrapped an arm around his waist and held him up when his knees went out. "Come on, big man. Let's get you sitting down for a minute."

Trunks immediately went to her side and helped her get the Namek into a chair. "What's wrong?"

"Likely the hormones," Usagi said flatly, using her powers to assess Piccolo's physical state. "Like I said, this was probably all or nothing. You'll likely never be able to reproduce asexually, now," she said, addressing Piccolo. "The crystal seems to have converted your anatomy into that of a creature that reproduces sexually. That includes all of the hormones and urges that go with it."

"So my body's just overwhelmed, then?" Piccolo grumbled, trying to keep himself in a seated position.

"Yeah. You likely just need to rest for a couple hours to adjust to it. Your regenerative abilities seem to be the same, so you'll probably adjust to it quickly. Just breathe and relax, ok?"

"In the meantime," Trunks chuckled, "any questions?"

He didn't have any right away, but after an hour of resting, he found his thoughts drifting towards Mako, and jumped when he felt a stirring between his legs. "Trunks," Piccolo said in quiet alarm, "I—what—"

"It's normal," he chuckled, not without sympathy. "It has a mind of its own, trust me. You thought of Mako, I take it?"

"You mean, just thinking about Koto will make it…" Piccolo shook his head and sighed. "I think I'm in over my head."

"You'll get used to it. You'll figure out how to keep it from standing at attention at inappropriate moments. I think of something that disgusts me or scares me whenever that happens. It seems to work." Trunks grinned and winked at Usagi when she came back into the gravity room; she'd gone to get them some lunch. "He felt it move."

"Oh, God. Poor Piccolo," she chuckled, at the sight of the Namek's slightly freak-out expression. Usagi set down the tray and pulled a capsule out of her pocket. "Here. For tonight. It's a capsule house."

"House?" He asked in confusion. Piccolo picked up the capsule and stared at it for a moment before tucking it away.

"It's Mako's first time," Usagi said patiently. "Girls tend to want that to be special. I figured it's special for you, too, Piccolo. You should make love to her in a bed."

"Oh." Piccolo nodded in understanding, then frowned. "What do you mean, her first time? Her and I…" He turned purple at the thought, and felt that stirring between his legs again. Damned thing! This had better be worth it!

"She's never gone all the way with a man," Usagi explained. "So her first time is going to be a little painful. In fact… judging from what I saw, it'll be more than a little painful if you don't properly prepare her."

"Prepare her?" Piccolo's attention sharpened at this, and he shook his head. "I don't know about this. I don't want to hurt Koto."

"It's necessary, the first time," Trunks said, patting his shoulder. "Just do all the stuff we talked about last time before you take her. Make sure she gets off a few times, first. Then it won't hurt too badly. And after a few minutes, she'll absolutely love it," he added with a grin.

Usagi smiled and nodded when Piccolo looked to her for confirmation. "Just go slow, and make sure she's good and wet before you give her the cucumber of love," she giggled. "Er, well. More like a zucchini. Mako's an awfully lucky girl."

Piccolo rolled his eyes and groaned. "I'm going to have to endure a plethora of vegetable jokes before you let me leave, aren't I?"

"That's the price you pay for my help," Usagi said brightly.

################

Grateful that the moon princess had actually kept the joking to a minimum (at least for her), Piccolo finally left after another hour of adjusting to all the new hormones in his bloodstream, heading straight for the clearing in the woods.

Sensing Makoto's ki still out by the water, Piccolo set up the capsule house, which was only the size of a cottage, thankfully. Anything bigger wouldn't have fit in the clearing. Upon inspection of the interior, he found a washer and a dryer, and immediately flew to the water, where she was slapping the soap out of one of her shirts. "Hey," she said warmly, gazing up at him with complete adoration.

"Hey," he replied, fighting an internal battle to throw her down on the bank and take her immediately. Thankfully, Trunks had warned him of this, so Piccolo was prepared for this exercise in self-control. At least that was something he had an awful lot of. "I brought you something. Bring the clothes."

Jupiter frowned and studied him carefully. The look in his eyes was unlike anything she'd ever seen before. "Are you alright, Piccolo?" She stroked her hand over his cheek, but pulled it back when he seemed to grit his teeth. Interpreting that as a rejection, she looked away, trying to hide the hurt she felt.

"I'm fine," he growled, wanting more than anything to pull her into his arms and kiss away that look in her eyes. But he knew he wouldn't be able to stop if he did. "Just come on, Koto. I'll explain in a little while."

She was surprised by the capsule house, but something like that didn't explain his standoffish behavior. Mako immediately loaded the clothes into the washer and began to massage her sore hands. "God, I hate washing by hand, Piccolo. Thank you," she said softly. That look of intensity was still there, but she caught a flicker of tenderness in it. "Now tell me, what's going on?"

Piccolo shook his head. "In time, woman. Come with me."

Unable to hide her confusion, she followed him into a room with a large bed. "Ah, now I get it," she said with a smile. She still didn't get his attitude, but maybe she could get him to change his tune with a few choice licks of his antennae. That always put him in a better mood. "I don't have to have a house to make me happy," she assured him, pressing against him as she reached up to remove his weighted turban and cape. "But I appreciate the gesture, all the same."

"You're human," he grunted, leaning in to taste her neck. "I thought it was time we did this properly. In a room with a bed."

Mako sighed when she felt his hands slowly begin to explore her, tugging at her clothes while he rained kisses over the skin he was gradually exposing. "You're perfect, Piccolo, you know that?"

"You're insane," he grunted. "I'm thinking of having you committed." Piccolo couldn't help but chuckle when he heard her infectious laugh, and drew her over to the bed. "Lay down." He was careful to keep his lower body just slightly off to the side as he joined her on top of the covers and removed the rest of her clothing. Thankfully, his pants were baggy enough to hide the new addition to his anatomy, but with the way he could feel it growing just at the sight of her, he knew she'd feel it pressing against her if he laid down on top of her.

Piccolo smirked against her lips as he kissed her with every ounce of the need he was only starting to feel. This "little" secret wasn't going to be a secret for very long, and he knew exactly how he was going to reveal it to her.

He was thankful when she climaxed for the first time, if only so he could slide down her body, putting his lower half further away from her. The urge to join their bodies was becoming maddening, but he was determined to make sure she was ready before he took her. Piccolo groaned, his hips moving on their own against the bed, when he felt her stroking his antennae. "Don't," he growled, nipping at her inner thigh.

"What?" Makoto asked in surprise, looking down at him. "What's wrong, Piccolo?" The haze of desire he was building in her was fading at her genuine concern for his odd behavior.

"Do you trust me?"

"Yes, of course I do," she answered without hesitation. "But you're acting awfully strange, and I'm starting to worry. Tell me what's wrong, honey."

Piccolo sighed and shook his head before running his tongue along the edge of her core. "Just trust me, Koto. That's' all I ask."

"Ok," she said reluctantly, lying back when his hand pushed her down gently. "You'll tell me though, right?"

"Yes, I swear it. Now lay down and come for me, damn it. And _don't_ touch my antennae," he added with a growl.

Mako nodded slowly, stunned by the look of unadulterated lust in his eyes. She'd never seen him look at her like that before, and it was a little scary. And more than a little exciting. Just what, exactly, was going on with him tonight?

Piccolo went back to work, and all thoughts of his behavior flew right out of her mind when she felt his tongue immediately seek out her nub, while his fingers slid inside of her and began thrusting in a slow and delicious rhythm. "God," she moaned, "you feel so good, Piccolo."

He responded with a low growl as he thrust into her harder, quickly and easily bringing her to a peak, while he kicked off his pants in preparation to reveal his secret to her. If she thought he felt good now, she was in for a very pleasant surprise.

As always, Piccolo slid up along the length of her body once she'd cried out in pleasure and tightened around his fingers, but when she wrapped her legs around him and rocked upwards, her mound pressed against something long, thick, and hard.

Makoto froze when she felt it, but gave a helpless little moan when he ground it against her. "Oh my God," she whispered. "H—How?"

"Later," he groaned, pressing himself into her folds. "Kami, I need you so badly right now, Koto. It—it's nothing like I've ever experienced before. This need is overwhelming."

Too stunned to speak, Mako pressed gently on his lower back, lifting her hips in invitation. She gasped as he filled her, his breathing growing ragged with the amount of restraint that he was exercising. "It's ok," she whispered, when she felt him pressing down on her barrier.

Piccolo sighed with pleasure when she drew him down for a kiss, and he managed to relax a little as her hands made careful, soothing motions up and down his back. When he felt her move her hips again, he pushed through the barrier quickly in hopes of sparing her too much pain, before finally sinking his entire length into her warmth.

Mako trembled and clung to him tightly after that flash of pain between her legs, which was slowly dulling into a mild ache, and a need to feel him moving. "You're awfully big," she managed.

"You're awfully tight," he countered, concentrating on holding still, since every cell in his body seemed to be screaming at him to move. "How does it feel?" He asked, withdrawing a little and sliding back into her. He groaned at the sensation. "Woman, that feels even better than when you suck on my antennae."

Mako tried not to wince when he moved again, but apparently she'd given some indication that it hurt, and he stopped. "I'll be ok in a minute, I think. Sorry," she whispered.

"It's ok," he whispered in reply, his voice shaking as he fought not to move.

Ignoring the ache between her thighs, Makoto pulled him down to her and lifted her hips. "No, it's not ok." She shushed him gently when he tried to protest. "No, love, don't worry about me, I'll be just fine." She rocked against him, smirking in triumph when he moaned and thrust forward. "That's it, Piccolo. Come for me," she whispered, "I want you to know the kind of pleasure you've been giving me, without a single thought for your own. Come for me," she said again, nipping at his ear. She knew he was close by the way he was shaking, and the primal, guttural sounds he was beginning to make.

"Feels so good," he groaned, thrusting into her harder, unable to help himself anymore, despite the way she was wincing.

"That's right, love. That's right," she urged, clutching at his back as she moved in time with him. She whimpered in pain when he suddenly slammed into her, moaning her name in ecstasy as he exploded inside of her.

The pleasure he'd felt before this was nothing in comparison to how it felt now, surrounded by her warmth. "God, Koto, that was the best thing I've ever felt," he said hoarsely, sagging against her. Piccolo sighed happily as her hands stroked up and down his spine. "I love you, Koto."

Mako bit down on her bottom lip, and felt tears welling up in her eyes. "Piccolo," she choked, "I love you, too."

Surprised to hear the tears in her voice, he looked up at her in worry. "Don't cry, Koto. Don't cry." He kissed her gently, flicking his tongue out over her lips. "I'm sorry if I hurt you."

"Hell, I get hurt worse than that during sparring every day. It's not that bad. I'm crying because I'm happy," she assured him, wiping at her eyes. "Because you love me."

He smiled at that, brushing a few stray locks of chestnut hair from her face. "I do. I'd just rather show it than say it."

"Well then…" Mako lifted her hips, giving him a sultry smile. "I know of a way you can show it. It probably won't hurt me this time." That smile turned into a wicked grin when he groaned at the same time she felt him hardening inside of her. "Too much for you?" She teased.

"Never," he chuckled, wrapping his arms around her waist, so he could sit them both up with her straddling him. He grunted when he felt her flex around him. "Does that hurt?"

"No," she replied breathlessly, "you're just really, really huge." Resting on her knees, she slid up his length to brush his lips with hers, than sank back down onto him, taking every last inch. "Oh, wow."

Piccolo supported her weight with one of his arms, and purred with satisfaction when he began to move and she gasped in pleasure. "That's more like it," he growled in her ear, thrusting harder when her gasps turned into whimpers, followed by moans. "I want to feel it when you're coming, Koto."

Mako moaned his name as he tipped her onto her back, just as she began to tighten and spiral upwards in an earth-shaking climax. "Piccolo, I'm—oh, God," she cried helplessly, stiffening as her body arched and she found her rapture.

He moaned with pleasure when she clamped around him and whimpered his name in a way he'd never heard her say it before. It drew a shiver down his spine, hearing her so satisfied, and knowing that he was the cause of it. Rather than tenderness, lust, or even love, her tone spoke of fulfillment and total completion. "I'm not through with you yet, Koto."

Chuckling into his neck, she wrapped her legs around him tightly and began to move with him once more, crying out softly when he moved harder and faster, nearing his own climax.

"Come with me this time," he ordered, listening intently for her cue to increase the pace. He didn't have to wait long, and soon he was plunging into her with abandon, both of them moaning as they came together, holding each other in near-desperation.

"You alright?" Mako asked, half-serious, when he rolled them to their sides and panted for air. He was slick with sweat, which was rare even when they were sparring, and he seemed to be fighting for air. "Piccolo?" She asked gently.

"Mmm, Koto. Come 'ere, woman." They both sighed in pure contentment when he held her tightly to him and kissed her lazily, slowly exploring her mouth with his tongue. "That was amazing," he finally sighed, resting his forehead against her breasts. "Now I know why even Vegeta disappears during training sometimes to find Bulma."

"Yeah, raging hormones are a bitch," she snickered. "That's why I was so cranky, you know. Right before."

"Oh, I understand all too well, now, woman. I've been feeling it all afternoon. This urge to find you and pin you to a wall… I almost lost it when I returned, you know."

Mako nodded and jumped a little when she felt his lips close over a nipple and suck gently. "Does someone want more already?"

"Dende, _no_," he groaned, "you'll give me a fucking heart attack. How those Saiyans perform their all-night marathons is beyond me."

Mako chuckled and shook her head. "I don't know, either. Poor Usagi, I know that Trunks gets in these moods, and by the next morning she can hardly walk. Hell, I'll be a little bowlegged in the morning as it is."

"Yeah, you will," Piccolo replied smugly, nipping at the underside of her breast while his claws whispered up and down her thighs.

"So… how, exactly? Don't tell me you used the dragon balls to wish for…" She giggled at that. "…balls."

"That was actually the plan, if Usagi's crystal couldn't do the job," he admitted. Piccolo looked up at her seriously before placing a tender kiss over her heart. "I wanted more than anything to be your lover, Koto. Your mate. To truly fulfill you. To give you children, if you want them, and as normal a life as possible." He looked back up when he heard her make a strangled noise, and found her crying. "You know how I feel about you, Koto."

Jupiter was so overcome with emotion that she could only nod and smile, her hand cupping his face tenderly. They just gazed at each other for a long moment, until she could find her voice without sobbing. "Children?" She finally asked.

"If you want them," he confirmed. "Usagi was pretty sure that the crystal would give us either all or nothing."

"Do you want them, though? Eventually, anyway? It's a little soon to be thinking about kids, even though I do want them."

"Koto, I want whatever you want," he replied honestly. "My heart belongs to you, along with the rest of me." Piccolo sighed at the way she was looking at him with such adoration. He was happy. Truly happy, for the first time in his life, and he knew that would never change, just so long as he had her by his side.

They eventually curled up under the covers, but neither of them slept for a long while. Every time Makoto felt herself dozing off, she was forcing herself to open her eyes again, just to convince herself that it was all real. She'd touch him then, reverently, wanting to pinch herself when she found that he wasn't just a figment of her imagination.

And she'd find him doing the same, just looking at her, occasionally brushing his hands over her face or her body, a tiny little smile playing on his lips.

################

They both woke groggily to the sound of knocking, and groaned in unison when they sensed a familiar ki outside the door. "I'll get it," Makoto offered, rolling out of bed. After some hunting for her clothes, she was finally dressed, and flung the door open with a huff.

Goku grinned at her, his hand flying to the back of his head at the sight of her disheveled hair, her wrinkled skirt, and the heavy scent of sex clinging to her like a second skin. "Burning the candle at both ends, I see."

"What?" She huffed.

"So… Usagi sent me over with this." Goku pulled a packet out of his gi and handed it over. "She said you'd taken a mate, and might need some birth control just in case. So… who is he? Usagi wouldn't tell me."

Makoto's jaw dropped at that, and she turned bright red. "You're fucking kidding me."

"No, Usagi just gave me this weird smile and said I'd find out eventually." Goku dropped his voice really low and looked around, as if someone could possibly be listening to them all the way out there in the middle of nowhere. "It's not Yamcha, is it… because I hear he cheats a lot."

Mako blinked at that and vigorously shook her head. "God, no."

"Oh, good! Do I know him, then? I'd really like to meet him, if you don't mind. Usagi, Trunks, and even Vegeta were so tight-lipped this morning that I'm dying of curiosity. Though… Vegeta did seem pretty amused." Goku jumped when she flared her ki in a quick signal to whoever was lurking in the bedroom. "So, he _is_ another warrior! Is it Tien, then?"

"Goku, you'd never guess in a million years," Makoto muttered dryly, too amused by this guessing game to be embarrassed any longer.

"Do I know him?" He asked again, trying to sense her mate's ki, but he was masking it very well, making it unreadable. He'd sniff her neck, but that seemed a little too forward, and a bit like cheating, since he was about to play a guessing game. When she nodded, that amused smirk still playing on her lips, he racked his brain. "Chiaotzu?" He asked, scratching his head. "No, no. He wouldn't be your type. Way too short."

Jupiter nodded and chuckled. "That would just be weird."

"Hmmm… let me see. Krillin's married. Both my sons are mated. It's not Tien, Yamcha, or Chiaotzu." He frowned and visibly gagged a little. "Yaijarobe?"

Mako laughed and shook her head. She only laughed harder when he suggested Mr. Satan, followed by Master Roshi. "Oh, God, Goku! Stop! I think I'm going to rupture something!" She cackled, hanging onto the doorjamb for support.

"Ok, I'm stumped," he muttered, still scratching his head. "That only leaves…" Goku's eyes widened, and he suddenly turned his head, casting about for the only other possible warrior. But his ki was nowhere to be found. "_**No WAY**_!" He cried in disbelief, falling over in shock. The Saiyan's eyes only got impossibly bigger when Piccolo walked up behind the princess of Jupiter and laid a tender kiss on the back of her neck before retreating a few feet back into the kitchen.

"HOLY SHIT! But… HOW? I mean, Piccolo, you can't even…" Goku turned bright red at that thought, causing both her and her lover to chuckle. "Never mind, I **don't **want to know," he mumbled, climbing to his feet with little grace.

"Come on, Goku," she said warmly, waving him in. "I'll cook breakfast."

"Breakfast? It's lunch." He reddened again and shook his head. "You two were up awfully late, I take it," he muttered sheepishly.

"Extremely," Piccolo rumbled, keeping a possessive hand on his mate's hip as she closed the door and made her way to the fridge. He'd seen her make it plenty of times, so he went to work making her coffee, knowing that she'd need the caffeine boost after their nighttime activities.

He shivered at that thought, and found himself staring at her for a long moment when he felt an ache between his legs. "I'm never going to get used to that," he mumbled under his breath. Piccolo thought hard of something that grossed him out, and sighed with relief when he felt his sudden arousal fade. At least Trunks had been right about that, he didn't want to get an erection while Goku was over.

"You ok?" Makoto whispered in his ear. She'd somehow sensed what was happening, and was trying not to seem as amused as she felt.

Her breath ghosting across his neck made him clench his jaw in a fight for control. "How in the hell do you humans ever get anything done?" He groaned quietly.

Makoto gave him a sympathetic smile before turning to their guest. "Goku, I'm sorry to be so rude, but can I have a raincheck on making you lunch?"

Judging from the look of barely restrained control on Piccolo's face, Goku knew exactly what was wrong. He'd gone through it himself when he'd first mated with Chi-Chi; it was a driving need that had lasted for weeks. Apparently Namekians weren't so different from Saiyans? At least the ones that were actually capable of mating, anyway. "Not a problem," he answered cheerfully. "Call me when Piccolo can focus on something other than you for thirty minutes," he added with a laugh.

**Ta da! Not a double-shot as I originally thought! Yes, it'll be a triple-shot, possibly a four chapter deal. I dunno, we'll just see where the road takes us. And PLEASE R&R people, not a ton of people read M fiction, so those few of you that DO read this, please drop me a line? Thanks!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Ok, it's gonna be five chapters, I just like this story so much that I can't help it! Enjoy yall, this chapter begins right where I left off with the last one.**

Makoto was laughing right along with him, at least until he disappeared via instant transmission and she felt a rock hard body pressing her against the wall by the stove. His nails were shredding her clothes in his frenzy to join their bodies, and before she could even suggest the bed, he was thrusting inside of her desperately, growling something incoherent in his native language.

The Senshi of lightning wisely decided to just go along for the ride, surrendering her body to the waves of pleasure that were coursing through her with every rough movement of him inside of her.

Once he had taken his pleasure enough times to function outside of the red haze of lust that had clouded his judgment, his first thought was of how viciously he'd just taken her, and the coppery scent of blood in the air.

He began to shake as he clutched her to his chest tightly, completely unable to look down at her and see what he knew would be fear, pain, and rejection in her eyes. "K—Koto…"

"I'm alright," she whispered, her fingers brushing up and down his back soothingly. "You didn't hurt me, Piccolo."

Still unable to look down, he shook his head a little, though his trembling had eased at the sound of her voice; at least that meant she was still alive and conscious. "I smell your blood." He was surprised to hear her chuckle; humor was the very last reaction he'd expected out of her.

"Well, duh, honey. You just popped my cherry last night, and you didn't think a lusty bout of wall sex wasn't going to beat it up a little? Considering how generous the silver crystal was, I'm not at all surprised," she snickered. Mako looked down, seeing him in his full, newly-acquired male glory for the first time. "_Very_ generous, indeed," she purred.

When Piccolo finally found the courage to open his eyes, he found her face full of humor, love, and understanding. Kami, he didn't deserve her. Setting her on the floor as gently as possible, he quickly assessed her injuries. Other than the fact that her clothes were shredded, his claws really hadn't done a lot of damage, which caused him to sigh heavily in sheer relief. Makoto had a few deep scratches here and there, mostly on her back, but nothing that wouldn't heal in a few days.

The damage between her legs wasn't awful, either, she'd sustained only minor tearing from the fifty-minute pounding she'd just endured, which spoke volumes for her physical stamina. "You should have told me to stop," he growled.

"And you would have listened?" She asked skeptically, giving him a smirk that he couldn't argue with. "Besides," she added with a wink, "I had absolutely no intention of asking you to stop while I was screaming your name."

Piccolo vaguely recalled hearing her crying out loudly several times, her voice begging him not to stop, to take her harder, telling him how good he felt inside of her. He flushed a little at the hazy memory.

"It didn't hurt until the last minute or two, but by then, you were starting to flag, so I stuck it out," she assured him. "Now… after that, I'd like a shower and a cup of coffee. Care to wash my back?" She asked, waggling her eyebrows.

"Yes, but that's all I'm doing," he replied seriously, slowly stripping the rags of cloth still hanging from her shoulders. "I won't hurt you again, Koto."

Smiling tenderly, she stood on her tiptoes to kiss him. "I know you won't, big man. Let's just chalk this one up to the equivalent of Saiyan lust, hm? And Piccolo? You've given me worse injuries during training."

"This is _not_ training, Koto." He scooped her up and took her right to the shower, cutting it on before stripping the remainder of his own clothing.

"I'd like to think it is," she chuckled, "just a different, much more enjoyable type of training. After all, it is quite the workout."

Piccolo snorted as he climbed in with her, immediately going for the soap. Thankfully he was sated for time being, because seeing her fully naked, water dripping down her body, covered in suds, would have had him wanting her like before if he hadn't just taken her.

"You ok, Piccolo?" She asked knowingly.

"I'll be fine," he whispered, nipping at her shoulder. The Namek discovered that the mere idea of him possibly hurting her again immediately curbed his libido, and he was thankful to finally discover a way to gain some form of control.

That was, at least, until Makoto turned and began to wash him in kind, paying special attention to the newest part of his body. "Koto, are you out of your mind?" He growled, angry with her for trying to get him aroused once more. "I refuse to hurt you again, woman. Stop it this minute."

Makoto only chuckled a little and blushed before leaning in to lick the tip of his pointy ear. "You know, Piccolo, there _are _other ways… why don't you let me show you?"

He blinked in surprise for a moment before her meaning finally hit him. "_**Oh.**_"

"And he _finally_ gets it," she teased, sinking to her knees.

Piccolo's eyes went wide at the sensation of her using her mouth on him as he'd done for her countless times over the last month, and after only a minute of that treatment, his fingers were buried in her curls, urging her on as he neared his peak.

"I'd thank Kami for that tongue of yours if I wasn't only thanking myself," he groaned, once she'd stood back up to kiss him chastely and wash the rest of him.

Makoto laughed hysterically at that, leaning into his chest so she wouldn't fall over from the force of it. "Well, then thank Dende," she finally giggled.

He smirked and shook his head. "No, I think I'll selfishly take credit for that wonderful mouth of yours."

"You know, Piccolo, I've always wondered, and it'll sound so stupid… but whenever you say 'Kami,' or 'thank Kami,' don't you feel just a little retarded?"

To his shame, Piccolo couldn't help but chuckle and nod. "You caught me, woman. It slips out sometimes out of habit, and I'll admit I feel this flash of awkwardness whenever it does."

"I knew it," she giggled, kissing him playfully before she climbed out of the shower. Mako sighed with pleasure when she felt him wrap his arms around her from behind, using his ki to dry the both of them as he ran his mouth along the back of her neck.

Then he released her, and his eyes travelled over her form, just soaking in her beauty. "Get some damned clothes on, woman, and get some coffee… before I change my mind," he added with a smirk.

Mako rolled her eyes but did as she was told, delving into her subspace for an outfit that wasn't shredded. She settled on one of the nicer tops and skirts that she'd bought a month ago. "You're not gonna shred this one, are you?"

"Hn. Do you want me to?" He asked dryly, handing her a steaming mug; he'd gone and gotten her coffee just to give his hands something to do.

"Not this outfit," she said flatly, "it's one of my prettier ones. But I have some older clothes that I wouldn't mind losing to those claws," she purred in his ear, before turning to the kitchen and taking a seat at the table. Mako smirked as she looked up at him, a tight look of control on his face. "What, does the idea of ripping off my clothes turn you on, big man?"

"Immensely," he grunted, trying his hardest not to look at her. Instead, he looked to the packet on the table. "You going to use that or not, woman? You're not pregnant yet, I _think_ I'd sense it if you were…" Dende, he hoped he would, at least. "…but if we keep having days like today, it won't be long."

Laughing her ass off, Makoto nodded and unwrapped the packet, which contained an injection and folded up pieces of paper. "Ah, good, instructions."

Piccolo looked up from his own coffee when he heard her snicker in a way that he knew usually meant trouble. He took a sip of the brew—just because he only needed to drink water didn't mean that he didn't enjoy the taste of certain things from time to time—and looked over her shoulder to see a note in Vegeta's cramped handwriting.

_If he's anything like a __true__ warrior, you'll need these. Half should clear up anything superficial. Enjoy, girl._

_-V_

"Do I even _want_ to ask?" He grumbled, noting that something was clenched in her fist.

"Oh. My. God," Makoto said, each word punctuated by a laugh. "He's _such_ a fucking troll." With that, she opened her fist, revealing half a dozen senzu beans. "I have to admit, though, he must think pretty highly of you to send so many."

"There's another note in there," Piccolo pointed out, plucking the paper from the packet. "Ah, these are the instructions from Usagi."

_Sorry about Tousan. He insisted, and I had to admit that he had a point about maybe needing the senzu beans. At least he's good for a decent idea once in a while. The King of the Trolls aside, Bulma says to inject this into your butt or thigh, and after an hour you'll be safe from a litter of little Piccolos. It should last about six months._

_-Usagi_

_P.S. Now that Son-san knows (and I wish I could have seen his reaction; even Tousan said he'd keep his mouth shut just so you'd get the full effect), everyone's likely going to know, so don't be surprised when nosey people start dropping by._

"Hn, just what we need," Piccolo grunted, when he'd finished reading the note out loud. And no sooner than he'd said it, a familiar ki was felt lurking outside the door. "I've got this one," he snorted.

"WHAT!?"

Krillin jumped a mile when the door to the cottage slammed open just before he could knock on it. "Geez, Piccolo, was that really necessary?"

"What?" He asked again, albeit not quite as loudly.

"I—uh…" Krillin grinned sheepishly and tried to look around him into the kitchen. "So… where's Makoto at, huh?"

"Krillin, fuck off," he grunted, slamming the door behind him as he went back in the cottage.

Not that he was surprised by Piccolo's reaction, Krillin still wanted to satisfy his curiosity; there was no way in Hell that Goku could have been serious, right? This had to be some sort of practical joke. But then again, there really was a house in the woods, and Piccolo had never needed the comforts of a home before, let alone offered them to students.

It was something that someone like Piccolo would only do for… well, a mate.

Krillin grinned when he heard Piccolo's voice rumble something he couldn't understand only moments after he'd slammed the door in his face, followed by the infectious laughter of a woman. So, it _was_ true! "Well, good for him," he said sincerely, taking off into the sky.

####################

"IT"S TRUE!"

Everyone waiting at the Kame House burst out the door to find Krillin just touching down outside, sporting his sunglasses, grinning ear to ear. "No fuckin' way," Yamcha snorted. "How much did Goku pay you? We all know that this has got to be some sort of elaborate practical joke."

"No, really, I swear it!" Krillin insisted, wildly waving his arms. "Piccolo's even got a house for Mako out in the clearing and everything! And I don't know about you, but Piccolo would never in a million years put a house out there unless…" He shrugged. "I mean, shit, guys, it's obvious!"

"Hm, and Goku just doesn't lie," Tien said thoughtfully. "What's she like, Krillin? I've never met her. Is she hot?"

"Not only is she the best damned chef on the planet, but Makoto is fucking smokin'," Krillin confirmed with a waggle of his eyebrows.

"Dear Kami, I never knew Piccolo had it in him," the assassin said in wonder.

"I never knew that Piccolo had **junk**!" Yamcha added in amazement.

Master Roshi finally spoke up, absently turning his walking stick in his hand. "You know, kids, it doesn't always have to be about sex." He looked up to see everyone staring at him like he'd grown a second head. "Hey, I may be a huge pervert, but I _**do**_ know a thing or two about love!"

"Yeah, but according to Goku, he was taking Piccolo's mate some birth control, so there must be sex involved," Yamcha countered. "If it's true, that is."

"Dragon balls maybe?" Yamcha asked, scratching his head. "Heh… using the balls to grow balls… that's a new one on me."

"My question is, how in the hell did he even know what to do?" Tien wondered.

Krillin laughed and shook his head. "Fuck if I know, he probably asked someone… or maybe the master let the student take the reins and teach him a few things. I'm pretty sure she knew what to do if he's acquired the proper body parts."

"Man, I just simply can't believe this," Yamcha chuckled. "And I'll probably get hit with a Masenko beam for it, but I have to see this for myself, man."

Tien stepped forward and hovered in the air. He wasn't one to be nosey or interfere in the love lives of others, but this was just too bizarre not to see with his own eyes. "I'm coming with you."

##################

Once he was back in the house, Piccolo smirked at his mate and nodded firmly. "That should take care of him, at least. He won't risk me beating the shit out of him."

Mako laughed and shook her head at him. "Embarrassed to be seen with me?" She giggled. And when he blushed and muttered something in Namekian, she only laughed harder. Eventually the laughter died down into a warm, understanding smile. "Piccolo, it's alright, you know. I get it."

"Get what?" He grunted, not at all amused.

"The whole big and bad warrior thing. I'm not going to run around and ruin your badass reputation, sexy man, so calm down. Out there, you can be the grunting, silent warrior, just as long as you're not an asshole to me. You start acting like Vegeta, though, and I'll call you out on it and embarrass you to no end. But when it's just the two of us…" She shrugged a little and blushed. "I've really loved seeing _**you**_, for once."

Mako felt warm at the way he was looking at her; there was so much emotion in it, even if his mouth was still set in a hard line. Did he even know that she could see it, despite his efforts to hide it? "You're perfect, Koto, you know that?"

"I'd say that I'm having you committed, but… I'm only inclined to agree with you," she replied sweetly.

"Modest, too," he huffed, taking his seat once more. "So… are you going to take that shot or not?"

She'd only admit it to herself, but she'd been thinking about whether or not to take it since Goku had dropped it off. Some small part of her was thrilled at the idea of being pregnant with his child, but the rest of her was still reveling in her relationship with him.

"You want a child," he said flatly, careful not to sound like he minded one way or the other.

"It's just hormones," she admitted. "I'm twenty-five, Piccolo. All women my age get these baby urges. But right now, I'm really happy like this." She handed him the shot and pulled her skirt up and her panties down to bare her butt cheek. "Go for it."

"You sure, Koto?"

"Yeah, just go ahead and do it. God, I hate shots." Mako winced when she felt the needle break the skin after a few moments, and cringed when the contents in it burned all the way down her leg.

"That hurt?" He asked, capping the needle.

"Burned, but I'll live. You think you can wait an hour before you give me another pounding?" She asked with a grin. Mako opened the packet and removed a senzu bean, bit it in half, and swallowed. The burning immediately ceased, and she felt the scratches on her back knit, as well as the damage between her legs. "Ah, much better. So… wanna spar while we're waiting?"

"Yes to both questions." A tiny grin graced his features as he pointed at her and zapped her clothes into something more suitable for training, knowing that it would get on her nerves to no end that he'd transformed one of her good outfits. He wasn't disappointed; the glare she shot him was anything but playful. "Care to punish me for it, woman?"

"You're zapping them back when we're done, you hear me?" She said flatly, draining her coffee cup before setting it in the sink. She jumped a little when he wrapped his arms around her from behind and nibbled her earlobe.

"And what if I just zapped them off? I've never tried that before, but I'm pretty sure I could do it," he purred.

Mako tried her best to keep a straight face, but found herself smirking at the idea. "Maybe another day, big man. Come on, I've missed kicking your ass these last couple of days."

"Koto, if you land a single ki blast, you can name your prize," he growled savagely, leading the way to the door.

Snorting and shaking her head, she slapped his ass. "Already got my prize, thank you. And it's definitely first place, honey." Not missing the warm look he gave her when he heard her words, she winked at him and took off into the air. Studying her nails, she hid a teasing grin. "So, love, you're not going to go all soft and easy on me just because we're…" She shrugged. "Whatever this is."

"Mated," he clarified. "Or married. Whichever you prefer to call it, Koto. And no," he purred, "This is training time, and your ass is mine, just like before." He almost expected a little pout out of her, but was pleased to see that fiery gleam in her eyes that he loved so much, paired with a toothy grin.

"Bring it then, Piccolo. If you think you can take me, that is." She felt a little fuzzy towards him on the inside, though, when she heard him finally define their relationship. She'd wanted to broach the subject for a long while, but she hadn't wanted to seem needy, either. And while he'd said the one time that he wanted to be her lover and mate, he also hadn't come out and said that they were mated, either.

"Koto?" Her eyes had gone soft for a several moments, and she looked almost…relieved.

"Huh? Oh, sorry, I was thinking," she said with a blush.

"What, you really needed me to clarify what you are to me?" He asked in a mixture of amusement and disbelief. Like she was really the one that had to worry about this working out? Shit, his Koto could have any man on the planet, he was sure of it.

"Yes and no," she admitted shyly, unable to look up at him out of sheer embarrassment, "but it was nice to hear." Suddenly, she felt an arm around her waist, and a clawed finger tipping her chin up so that she was looking into his dark eyes.

"Koto, if you need to hear it to feel secure, I don't mind. You're mine, just as I'm yours. For life, if you really want me. Understand?" He finished gently.

"Yes," she replied, her voice a mere whisper, "I really do want you, Piccolo. For life. I love you more than I could ever put into words." Mako melted into him when he kissed her, resisting the urge to cry at how wonderfully perfect he was.

"WOOOO! GO PICCOLO!"

Both of them snapped up so quickly that they conked heads, grunting in unison at the pain. They then glared daggers at Yamcha and Tien, who were standing on the ground, out in the trees, both of their kis dampened.

"DO I HAVE TO TELL EVERY SINGLE WARRIOR ON THIS PLANET TO FUCK OFF BEFORE I'LL GET SOME DAMNED PEACE!?" Piccolo raged, flinging a ki blast their way. It was easily absorbed by Tien, who only grinned up at the pair.

"We just came by to extend our congratulations, Piccolo," the three-eyed warrior said with a smile.

"Oh bullshit," Yamcha snorted, "we just didn't believe it and had to come by to see it for ourselves. At least tell the man the truth, Tien." He grinned when the assassin had the grace to blush a little and nod.

Makoto saved the day when Piccolo looked like he was ready to rip them both apart, when she smiled and waved them over. "Well, as long as you two are here, you can make yourselves useful. Feel like sparring?" She shrugged at her mate when he glared at her, and gave him a mischievous smirk. Knowing that only he would hear him, she said under her breath, "what, you don't want to tag team them and teach them a lesson?"

Trying not to laugh, Piccolo tipped his head in a nod. "Come on then, if you two insist on bothering us on our… Koto, what's that human marriage thing called? The thing Rei and Goten are doing right now?"

"A honeymoon, Piccolo," she replied happily, unable to keep the smile off her face.

"Hardly a honeymoon if you're sparring," Yamcha chuckled.

"Actually, I find it to be excellent foreplay," Mako laughed. "You must not be doing it right, Yamcha," she added with a straight face. "Or maybe… you're neglecting it altogether?"

Piccolo and Tien both snickered at the blank look on Yamcha's face as Makoto simply flew back over to her mate. "Tag teams, or double teams?" Tien asked.

"Double teams," Mako answered simply. "Full power, and don't hold back, because we sure as hell won't."

They both just stared at the mated couple for a moment. "Wait, you two don't go all out in sparring, do you?" Yamcha asked in disbelief.

"Not always full power, but yes," Piccolo grunted. "I don't baby my students like _some_ teachers do. Power up, Koto."

"Heh, like you had to ask. JUPITER CRYSTAL POWER, MAKE UP!" Mako didn't miss the long look that Piccolo gave her once she'd transformed for the first time in months; he was obviously having a Trunks moment, thinking of a shredded fuku and a moaning Sailor Senshi wrapped around him. "Later," she breathed, knowing he'd heard her when she saw his ears twitch and his eyes flash with desire. That super hearing sure came in handy a lot, and she realized that the possibilities for making him nuts without being heard by others were endless.

"Time limit?" Yamcha asked.

"An hour," they replied together, both of their mouths twitching into identical grins. "Or until we beat the shit out of you," Piccolo added with a grunt.

With that, the Namek called a start to the fight, and immediately began to pound on Tien, leaving Koto the weaker opponent.

He grinned savagely when she automatically began using ki signals with him, particularly the ones that they'd developed between just the two of them since they'd started training. No one knew those but them, and while Gohan could have possibly deciphered them since he knew nearly all of Piccolo's signals, it would have still taken him a minute.

They stuck with just punching and kicking as they warmed up on their living punching bags, but when Yamcha actually managed to land a lucky punch to Makoto's chest, Piccolo broke out the ki blasts and sent him flying into a tree.

"Hey! No fair, I thought I was fighting Mako!"

Piccolo grit his teeth and shook his head. "She's my mate. Therefore, you're fair game." And to prove it, he flew at Yamcha, with Tien chasing him, while Koto merely held her head in her hands and chuckled.

She jumped back into the fight with a smile on her face, quickly getting Tien to focus on her so he'd let up on Piccolo. Not that her mate actually needed the help, but Mako had never been one to just stand around while someone else had all the fun. "Jupiter Thunder…" she hesitated the split second that was necessary for her mate to move out of the way, then screamed the last of the attack and watched Tien twitch a little before falling to the ground.

And then it was two on one again, only this time Yamcha was on the receiving end, and it was less than a minute before he yielded. "Whoa, Makoto, Piccolo's done some work of training you, that's for sure."

She was scraped up and even a little bloody, but Piccolo couldn't help but think that she was gorgeous coming straight out of a fight, especially when that savage little grin was playing at her lips. "He's taught me a lot more than that," she chuckled, releasing her grip on Yamcha. "I'll go get Tien a senzu," she offered, resisting the sudden urge to jump on Piccolo. "Guess bloodlust can translate to other types of lust," she muttered.

Piccolo smirked and flared his ki in response. _Yes, _it said, letting her know he'd heard her, even from that distance.

#####################

"Heh, I knew you'd follow me down here. Having a fuku moment?"

"Is that what Usagi calls it?" Piccolo asked with a smirk, disappearing from the tree line before reappearing right behind her. He felt a rush of satisfaction when she shivered at the feel of him trailing a finger slowly down her spine.

"Yeah," she chuckled, leaning into him when he wrapped his arms around her from behind. "Trunks has regular urges to shred her fuku, especially when she's fertile. Vegeta explained that the aggression is just part of all those super-fun Saiyan hormones and that wicked sense of smell that they have. I am _**so**_ glad I don't have to deal with those mood swings," she snorted.

"You mind the aggression?" Piccolo wondered out loud, still a little afraid that he'd put her off with the incident in the kitchen.

"Never said _that_," she replied, and he could practically hear the smile in her voice. "Once in a while, it's awesome, but almost every night? Good God, I really don't know how Usagi does it, accelerated healing or not. Heh, it's also flattering in a way, to know that I can get that kind of a reaction out of you, of all people." Mako shivered again when his teeth nipped at the back of her neck, followed by the caress of his lips and tongue.

"Would you like to be flattered right now?"

She simply enjoyed the sensation of his mouth trailing slowly over her neck, then her jawline, before she finally answered. "Right now, I'd like a bath, if that's alright. You can join me if you like."

His answer came as a grunt, and she immediately detransformed. But before she could start undressing, her mate was already taking the liberty of doing it for her, so she switched to removing his clothes instead.

Chuckling as she led him into the water, she wasn't surprised to see him wondering what was so funny. "I thought we'd get dirty some more before we got clean… if you're up to it, of course."

"Ah. Still feeling that bloodlust, I take it." With that, Piccolo waited until the water was to his chest before lifting her against him, using his hands to wrap her legs around his waist as his mouth immediately began to explore hers.

The moment he lowered her onto him, Makoto murmured with pleasure, but when she expected that aggression from earlier, she was surprised to feel him moving inside of her at a slow and delicious pace. "God, Piccolo… that feels…" She was already cresting, unable to control her breathing as she let out a breathy moan. "I'm—oh God… Piccolo…"

The Namek merely mumbled softly in his native tongue before bending his head to worship her breasts, and moaned with pleasure when she suddenly clutched at his back and tightened, calling out his name. "I'll never get tired of making you say my name like that," he purred, still moving inside of her slowly.

"You're not going to hurt me, you know," Mako sighed, already spiraling upwards once more.

"I know I won't, Koto. You don't like this?"

"Oh… I definitely like this," she moaned, the sound turning into a soft whimper as she tightened again and clutched at his hips. "You feel so good, Piccolo."

"Good," he grunted, no longer able to ignore the pressure building inside of him as he drew closer to his own climax. He'd hoped to last longer for her, but just the sight and sound of her pleasure was driving him mad, and he was still feeling the after effects of battle, just as she. "Koto," he groaned, "I think I'm—"

"Yes, please Piccolo, come with me," she urged, taking over a little by rocking her hips over him as she kissed him passionately, almost a little aggressively.

Not knowing what else to do, Piccolo followed orders and let go when he felt her tighten once more and heard her moan his name in the way that always filled him with pride and satisfaction.

Mako giggled a little when she felt him support her weight before she slid under the water. "Sorry, my legs are shaking, love."

"I know," he replied, the pleased smirk evident in his voice. "It means I did a good job."

"Yeah, you did. What about me, green bean?" She looked up at him with a sexy little smile and nipped at his chest. "You need some more?"

"At the moment, no. After we get out of the water…?" He let the question hang in the air before flashing her a quick grin and taking the soap she'd fished out of her subspace. "But if you'd like, we can play that soapy game you like so much."

Mako laughed and nodded, then gurgled with pleasure when he began to soap her up, thinking of the make out session they'd had just after they'd gotten together. It had involved a lot of slipping and sliding, and by the end of it, they'd been awfully clean and dirty at the same time.

It had become a regular game for them since then, and quite interesting at that, if they started out on the rock in the deep end. It was always fun to see which one of them would slip first and fall into the water. "Wanna play on the rock?" She teased.

"Only if you don't shove me in like last time."

"I didn't shove! I slipped, landed on you, and I can hardly help it that you didn't use your ki to keep yourself in place."

Piccolo smirked as she drew him into the deeper water. "So, that's what you call it. Maybe I'll slip this time."

"Only if you give me mouth to mouth."

"Done."

**Ah, this was such a fun chapter to write! So much trolling! I hope yall enjoyed it to, and just so you know, I've updated some other fics as well. So PLEASE R&R, I'll update faster if you do!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry I didn't update ANYTHING over the weekend, yall, but I worked 26 hours just between Sat and Sun, AND we lost a long time patient of ours on Sunday afternoon. Yesterday was really fucking tough for a lot of us. I won't even get into the near-argument I almost had with another nurse who was bossing me like a fucking four year old. I'm pretty fucking mellow, but with the stress of the day on top of it all, I was ready to lay her out like Mike fucking Tyson if she told me ONE MORE TIME to go change a patient that I'd ALREADY told her once before that I would get. Nevermind that I currently had a resident on the toilet that I absolutely couldn't leave by herself, due to her dementia+pain killers+recently broken leg. That woman would have totally tried to stand on her own if I hadn't been in there with her. **

**Ok, ok. /Rant, I swear. Long fucking weekend. NOW! BEGIN THE FLOOFINESS, DAMN IT! R&R if you love me!**

"Koto?"

"Mmm?"

Piccolo shifted a little in the double sleeping bag they were using and tipped her chin up to look at her face. She was already almost asleep, and he would have normally let her drift back off, but something had been plaguing him for days, ever since they'd encapsulated the house. "Do you want the house back?"

"Told you," she mumbled, "don't need a house, green bean. Go to sleep," she added with a chuckle, snuggling closer to him next to the fire. But there was no going back to sleep for her, she could sense that he was still awake, even ten minutes later, and sighed heavily. "Do you?"

"No," he said simply, "I prefer the outdoors."

"And I'm the Senshi of nature. That should solve your dilemma, Piccolo. I _like _sleeping out of doors. As long as it's not snowing, anyway. Then I guess we could bring back the house. Besides, we're supposed to be training, right? It's not exactly fair to have all the amenities your other students lacked."

"You're **not** my other students," he grunted.

Mako finally started to doze off, her head pillowed on his chest, until he spoke again. "Do you ever wish that we shared the same connection that your friends do with their mates?"

"Do you?" She answered, trying not to feel annoyed with him for constantly waking her. Something was clearly bothering him, and she was simply not getting any sleep until she figured out what it was and solved the problem.

"Do you always have to answer a question with a question?"

"Do you think I should?" She teased, sitting up to see him looking at her seriously. She sighed and shook her head. "I'm sorry, Piccolo, I didn't mean to be a smart ass. The answer is sometimes," she said with a genuine smile, continuing when his expression told her to elaborate. "During battle, mostly. I know it sounds stupid, but it's a clear advantage. And then sometimes… when it's just us, I wonder what you're thinking, you know? I guess I'm a little jealous of what they have," she finished with a shrug.

That wasn't the answer he was expecting, and his face clearly showed it. "You don't ever wonder if I truly care for you, and wish you could read my mind?"

Ah, so _that's_ what his problem was. He was clearly deflecting his own insecurities onto her. Mako leaned in and kissed him gently before stroking one of his antennae affectionately. "I love you, Piccolo. And I know that you love me. You've already told me that I'm yours, and you're mine, and that's all I need to know."

"I can show you, if you want," he offered, holding out his hands, palm up.

She'd known he was telepathic for as long as she'd known him, but he'd seemed to have made a point of respecting her privacy, even when they'd only been master and student. The only time they'd done this was for him to show her a technique that she was having trouble learning—which was rare—and _only_ for that purpose. He'd never delved into her own thoughts.

Makoto nodded when she saw the flicker of insecurity in his eyes, and laced her fingers with his, palm to palm. "Look at anything you want to, honey."

"And you." Piccolo closed his eyes and immediately used his gift, totally throwing open his own mind to her as he slipped into hers. He instantly found her knowledge of his insecurity, which he'd been trying to hide from her, but apparently his actions and his eyes had given him away. She could always read him like a book, this woman, even before they'd started a relationship.

Then he saw her feelings for him, and they ran so deep that they rocked him to the core. She loved him. She really and truly loved him, more than anyone she'd ever known in her life, even her friends. _I don't deserve you, Koto._

He felt more than heard that chuckle in her mind, a gentle shaking of her head as she disagreed with him. _I think we deserve each other more than you think, _she whispered. Makoto could see and feel his own love and devotion to her, and was simply basking in it, letting it flow through her.

Piccolo poked around in a couple of her memories of him, only out of sheer curiosity, before he realized that she'd dozed off. _Koto?_

_Mmmm? _

_You fell asleep. Wake up just a little so I can break the link without hurting you._

'_Kay._

She felt him retreating from her mind, and did the same. Without even opening her eyes, she laid back down and snuggled up to him tightly, sighing with pleasure when his arms went around her possessively. "That was beautiful."

Piccolo smiled at the sound of that word actually being associated with him, and kissed the top of her head. "Yes, it was," he agreed.

"Now go to _sleep_, big man," she mumbled, "got training early."

"Yes dear." That genuine smile was still on his face when he fell asleep, his arms wrapped tightly around his mate, who really and truly loved him.

#####################

_One month later_

"Smells good. What are you making?"

Makoto turned and blushed a little at the sight of him. After the way he'd taken her only two hours prior, just looking at him brought images to mind, thoughts of them tangled together on the floor, in the shower, in the bed—making love as gently and passionately as they just had.

Knowing full well the effect he was having on her, Piccolo merely crossed his arms over his bare chest and leaned one shoulder against the wall, a tiny smirk playing on his lips. "Who are the cookies for?" He asked, pointing to the cooling batch on top of the stove.

"Usagi. Why, would you like one?" She asked curiously. S\he'd never seen him eat before, so she wasn't sure if he even could eat. But she'd seen him drink coffee on several occasions, so surely… Plucking one from the tray, still warm, she held it out to him.

Piccolo turned it over in his hand a few times before taking a small, tentative bite, and he knew the look on his face must have been amusing by the way she was grinning at him. "That… that tastes almost as good as you do," he whispered in surprise.

"Another dozen coming up, then," she replied happily, pleased that she could finally cook something for the man she loved. "And if you think that's awesome," she added, while she gleefully watched him devour the rest of the cookie in two large bites, "just wait until you try my cheesecake."

"The cheesecake is better than that?" He asked in surprise, eyeing the fridge, licking his lips in a quest for the last traces of a chocolate chip.

"Don't you dare, Piccolo!" She ordered, half serious, as she pointed to the fridge. "That one's for Vegeta."

"He can't just share the cookies?"

Makoto lost her fight against the urge to laugh, and shook her head. "Have you ever seen Usagi eat my cookies?" She asked. "Vegeta's gonna lose a hand if he dares to try and steal one from her. And I saw his face when he ate my cheesecake, so this seemed like the best course of action."

"And what did you make for Trunks?" Piccolo asked, edging closer to the fridge when she turned her back.

"Seven layer bars; his favorite." She pointed a finger behind her back and lightly zapped his hand as it closed around the handle of the fridge door. "And if you try that again, I won't make you your own cheesecake."

"My own?" He asked with interest, sidling over to watch her mixing more cookie dough for him. Piccolo smiled at that sight; Koto was cooking for him. His Koto.

"All to yourself if you behave and leave Vegeta's alone," she replied sweetly, pulling the wooden spoon from the batter and sticking it in his mouth before he could say another word.

"Dear Dende," he whispered, licking the cookie dough from the spoon. "Now I know why Saiyans eat so damned much!" He kissed her then, moaning happily as he let her taste her own handiwork, reveling in the sight of her—half-lidded and clearly aroused—as he finally pulled away. "I think it's time we took a break from the kitchen," he purred softly, moving his cookie-dough covered mouth up and down her throat.

Mako groaned at that and shook her head with regret. "I can't, sorry. But I'd be more than happy to finish that thought when I get back."

Groaning in frustration right along with her, Piccolo nodded. They'd only been holed up in the woods, joining their bodies as often as possible for the last month. Dende, had it really been a whole month? It had gone by in a total blur, and felt like mere days since he'd made love to her for the first time. But he had to let her venture out of the house eventually, as much as he selfishly wanted to keep her legs wrapped around his waist. "You'll be back when?"

"Around supper, I figure," she answered in understanding. Frankly, she didn't want to leave his side, either, but she owed the Saiyan clan at Capsule Corp a thank you visit, and she'd been putting it off for too long.

"And can I eat you for supper?" He asked curiously, licking the traces of raw dough off of her neck.

"As much as you want, you won't hear me objecting," she giggled, turning back to the stove to pull another two dozen cookies from the oven. She immediately loaded another batch onto a cookie sheet and popped them in. "Now, those are yours, love. And don't eat them all in one sitting, either. Namekian or not, I'm positive you'll make yourself sick from all that sugar."

"Yes, dear," he countered, smirking at the phrase he'd heard Usagi and Trunks trade on more than one occasion when they teased each other.

"Don't you sass me, big man. I'll whoop you with this spoon, just like my grandmother used to do to me."

"Hm, promises, promises," he growled, pulling her in for another toe-curling kiss. They kissed like that for a while before Piccolo found himself pushing her against the same wall where he'd taken her once before, hiking up her skirt in desperation as he felt her melt against him surrender. Then the timer on the stove went off, and she stiffened in his arms, blinking at him in surprise.

"I have to get those," she whispered shyly.

Piccolo groaned and nodded, setting her back on her feet. "If they weren't for me, I'd tell you to let them burn," he grumbled.

Adjusting her skirt and top, she pulled the two dozen from the oven and proceeded to move Usagi's cookies onto a plate. "You can wait a few hours, green bean," she teased. "I swear, you and your libido. Not that I blame you, of course. Who could resist this gorgeous domestic goddess?"

Barking out a genuine laugh, he enfolded her in his arms from behind, nuzzling her shoulder. "Definitely not me. I find such perfection irresistible."

"_Good_ answer!" She giggled, passing him a cookie over her shoulder.

"Mmm," he sighed, taking a bite of the sugary goodness, "do I get one of these every time I pay you a compliment? Because I'm positive I can think of a few more."

"Save it for when I get back, and I'm sure I can think of even better things to reward you with," she promised, turning her head to kiss him softly.

Piccolo finally let her leave after a few more minutes, once he'd kissed her senseless a couple more times and earned himself another cookie. That thought reminded him that he had another two dozen cooling in the kitchen, all to himself, and he secretly wondered how many it would take to actually make him sick.

With a mischievous grin that Vegeta would have totally recognized, he decided to go back inside and find out.

###############

Smiling to herself as she thought of her mate, Makoto barely caught herself in time, reaching for her ki, when it suddenly failed her and she started to fall. "What the fuck?" She gasped, shaking a little. God, that was a long fall, too. "I must have been so deep in thought that I let it slip," she chuckled, unable to get the hint of fear out of her voice. "Damn, better be more careful."

She turned up the speed, dying to get back on the ground, and not just because she was the Senshi of nature. Touching down outside of Capsule Corp, Makoto sighed with relief, most of her shakiness gone from her close encounter with gravity. Sometimes she found herself forgetting that the laws of physics still applied to her, and that had been a not-too-pleasant reminder.

"You look a little pale, girl."

Working up her best, reassuring smile, Makoto shrugged. "I'm fine, Vegeta, but thank you."

Not entirely convinced, Vegeta studied her closely. She was pale, obviously shaken, and her scent was even a little off. But when he opened his mouth to remark on his observations, she handed him an enormous pie dish, and everything but rich, sweet goodness was forgotten. "Is this what I think it is?" He asked greedily.

"All for you, Vegeta," she replied brightly, the look on his face banishing her lingering fear. "I wanted to say thank you."

"For what?" He asked absent-mindedly, already lifting the foil to stick his finger into the middle of the super-sized cheesecake and lick it clean. He groaned a little at the taste.

Makoto dared to hug him, and pecked him on the cheek, blushing a little. "For being awesome," she said sincerely. "And the senzu beans, of course. And not being a gossip queen… unlike another full-blooded Saiyan I know."

Vegeta laughed at that and nodded, grinning a little at her show of affection and gratitude. "Anytime, girl. So, did you do as I told you?" His grin became lecherous when she looked at him blankly. "Did you… _enjoy_?" He intoned, waggling his eyebrows. The deep crimson of her cheeks was all the answer he needed. "Good to know," he chuckled. "I assume as long as it's been since your last visit, the Namek's had you tied to the bed posts."

"Pretty much," she admitted, her ears joining in with her cheeks, turning bright red. "Where are Trunks and Usagi?"

Vegeta flared his ki in a simple pattern to summon his son and daughter-in-law from the gravity room, shielding his cheesecake protectively when they came out and he watched Trunks's nose flare at the smell of it. "Mine, brat," he warned, glaring at the demi-Saiyan.

Usagi grinned and leapt onto her friend, hugging her tightly. "Look at you, girl! You're glowing! So… how does it feel to be married? Or is it mated?" She asked, going quiet at the question.

"Piccolo said to call it whichever I wanted," Mako replied warmly, handing over the enormous plate of cookies.

The moon princess snatched up the plate eagerly, knowing what was under the tinfoil immediately. "I love you so much," she groaned in ecstasy, immediately stuffing an entire cookie in her mouth.

"What about me?" Trunks asked, whining like a puppy at the sight of all of those cookies. And none of them were for him!

"I've got something better than those for you, Trunks," Mako crooned, presenting him with an even larger plate. "For giving Piccolo 'the talk,' and quite a few useful tips," she whispered in his ear.

"Hey, I'm the one that gave him a cock," Usagi laughed. "Why does he get a bigger plate?"

Mako blushed at that and shook her head, rolling her eyes. "The plate's bigger, but I swear you've got the same amount. Please don't start that 'he's got more than I do!' crap with me."

"I'm willing to make a small trade," Trunks suggested, waggling his eyebrows in an identical manner to the way his father had done it only a few minutes before.

With that, Usagi and Trunks headed off, out of earshot, while they traded two cookies for a seven layer bar, munched companionably, and discussed a more carnal type of trade. "God, Usagi was made for Saiyan marriage," Mako mused, shaking her head in wonder.

"Trunks is weak," Vegeta snorted. "No way in hell I'm giving up any of this cheesecake, not for all the blowjobs in the world."

"Yeah, but I'm pretty sure you'd trade a sliver of it in exchange for three or four of my chocolate chip cookies," the Senshi of lightning countered.

Vegeta had tasted those delicious cookies at the last reunion, and he had to admit, they'd been mouth-watering. "You might have a point," he snorted. Looking at the sky, he eyed her, once again thinking of how her scent was off. It took only another moment to realize her ki was a little off, too. "You alright, girl?"

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" She asked curiously, her previous lesson in physics forgotten.

"You seem… off," he finally answered, after thinking for a few seconds. "Your ki's funny." Vegeta knew he'd hit the nail on the head when he caught the flash of fear in her eyes and she visibly paled again.

"My ki dropped while I was flying here; I was thinking, and I must not have been paying attention," she admitted softly. "And don't lecture me, either," she added bitterly, when he opened his mouth to do just that, a string of curse words on his lips. "My close encounter with a fast-moving ground was all the lesson I needed."

His mouth formed a hard line at that and he nodded stiffly. "You'll be more careful." It wasn't a request.

"Hai, Tousan," Mako replied, only partly teasing. It was impossible not to think of him as a gruff, reluctant father figure, since he'd been in charge of her training for several months before she'd met Piccolo, seen him fight, and told him he was her new sensei, whether he liked it or not.

Vegeta hadn't even been insulted, since he was busy training Usagi, Rei, and Minako, and was almost grateful to lower his class size. Besides, the Saiyan prince knew she had more potential than most, and had secretly approved of her seeking one-on-one teaching from the Namek; it only proved how dedicated she was as a warrior.

Catching her scent again, Vegeta frowned, furrowing his brow. It smelled a lot like… but no, that wasn't it. Similar, but not the same. But still, he'd best alert the Namek to keep an eye on her. "You leaving soon?"

"Yeah, sorry. I told Piccolo I'd be home by supper, and the flight here always takes a while. Why?" She asked with a grin. "Hoping to con me into making dinner for all of you?"

"Kami, no. I've got mine right here," he said with a nod, indicating the cheesecake. "I wanted you to take a message to the Namek for me. Hang on." With that, Vegeta stepped inside the house, put his prize in the fridge, and penned a few lines, sticking it in an envelope, which he sealed. "His eyes alone," he growled, handing it over.

Makoto shrugged and stuck it in her pocket. "You didn't tell on me about the whole falling thing, did you?"

"No," he half-lied. That wasn't all he'd revealed in the note. "Get on home," he ordered flatly. "That cheesecake is calling my name, and it's more alluring than sex."

"Hai, Tousan," she snickered, taking off into the air, headed back the way she came.

Vegeta homed in on her ki while he strode back inside to eat, determined to keep an eye on it until she was back in the clearing and safe with her mate. He didn't exactly count Piccolo as a friend, but the Namek had saved his mate a few times, so he didn't mind returning the favor if circumstances called for it. And even the prince had to admit that Makoto was sort of like a daughter to him. Not as close as Usagi, perhaps, but family all the same.

And Vegeta always protected his family.

###################

This time it happened while she was fiercely concentrating on keeping herself afloat, not allowing herself even a moment's distraction after her near-disaster.

Makoto screamed as she fell, flaring her ki wildly.

Or at least tried to.

It wasn't there, or rather, she couldn't seem to access it. Her ki was still right there, inside of her, where it always lurked, but she was completely cut off from it. In a move of desperation as the ground drew closer, Mako shoved her hand into her subspace, gripped the first thing she found—which was always right at the opening—and was enveloped in a flash of green light.

Thankfully she'd been really high up when her ki had failed her, because that flash came only as she was crashing into the tops of the trees halfway between Capsule Corp and her home. She still fell hard to the ground, but it was nowhere near at the speed that it would have been, which would have undoubtedly killed her instantly.

"PICCOLO!" She yelled, just before she smacked into the earth, hoping irrationally that his Namekian ears would actually hear her from such a distance. Then gravity claimed its prize, and she saw stars… followed by darkness.

####################

"USA! TRUNKS!"

A door upstairs opened, and a half-naked Usagi poked her head out, immediately responding to the urgency in Vegeta's voice. Tousan only yelled like _that _when something really bad was happening, or was about to happen. "Hai!"

"Get dressed, and call Makoto on your communicator!" He barked, already yanking on his boots. Vegeta cast about in the direction of the clearing a few more times, searching in vain for the ki that had flickered twice before completely disappearing. She would have fallen to the ground by now, for sure. And in her condition… "Gods, what have a done?" He whispered fearfully.

"What, Tousan? What's wrong?" Usagi asked, already pushing buttons on her watch, looking to her half-dressed mate, who was just joining them.

"Makoto's ki was acting strangely, and I actually let her go home without an escort," he snarled, angry with himself for failing to protect a member of his family.

"Is she ok?" Usagi asked slowly, dread spreading slowly over her face as her communicator continued to beep, signaling that it was still ringing.

"I felt her ki go out completely while she was flying, only a minute ago. I'm going out to find her. You two call the other girls, Kakarot, and his brats, and follow my ki once you've gotten hold of them all." With that, he hurried out the door and blasted into the air, going straight to level three for the sake of speed.

##################

Piccolo hadn't heard his mate's cry, but when suppertime came and went he started to worry. Makoto was always obsessively punctual, just as much as Ami, in fact. It was one of the things about her that had convinced him to take her as a student when she'd basically ordered him to train her.

He grew antsy after fifteen minutes, and started searching for her ki, eyes closed, casting out in an ever-growing circle. According to his senses, she wasn't at Capsule Corp. She wasn't even on the planet. He launched himself skyward, heading straight for Usagi's ki, which was flaring in a semi-panic; that was his tip-off that something was seriously wrong.

That and the fact that Vegeta's ki was headed towards him at a break-neck pace, which could only mean he'd ascended. And that only added to Piccolo's worry, turning it into pure fear. "Dende, I know you can hear me, and I'm asking for a little help," he whispered, swallowing hard.

If her ki wasn't on the planet, then it meant…

"Please!" He barked, glancing in the direction of the Lookout.

_**Head due north. **_

"Thank you, Dende. I know you don't like to interfere," Piccolo rasped, his worry abating… just a little. "Is she alive?"

_**Yes…**_The young voice in Piccolo's voice hesitated, before adding gently, _**but only just. You need to hurry, Piccolo.**_ _**I'm with her right now, and she's fading. **_

With that, Piccolo homed in on Dende's ki, and went full speed towards it, his desperation to save his mate practically giving him wings.

He saw the glowing green light coming out of the trees, and if he hadn't been looking for Dende, he would have completely missed it. The light was faint, but it was there, and he rushed towards it when he touched down on the forest floor. What greeted him rocked him to the core.

"Koto?" He choked, gathering her up in his arms. The light around her had acted like some sort of barrier, but it had accepted his touch and allowed him to go to her side. Apparently it hadn't done the same for Dende.

She was out cold, pale, hardly breathing, and her heartbeat was erratic and thready. And she had no ki. If he hadn't been on the verge of panicking, Piccolo would have noticed that her ki was still inside of her, though it was completely separate from the inner well that she had been using to house it. "Come on, Koto," he pleaded, putting a hand to her chest, letting his own ki flow into her. "Wake up. Please wake up."

To both his and Dende's surprise, the ki he was pushing into her immediately disappeared. "I don't know," Dende said quickly, when Piccolo looked to him for answers. "I really don't know everything, Piccolo. Try giving her more."

He did without hesitation, ready to give her all of it if necessary. If she went, he was going too, damn it.

"Take some of mine," a gruff voice offered, placing his hand right next to the green one already on Makoto's chest. "I'm stronger."

Piccolo didn't even need to look up to know who the owner of that voice was, and would have been surprised that the green barrier around his mate had allowed Vegeta in, if he hadn't been so focused on the task of keeping his mate alive. He vaguely heard something come out of the Saiyan's mouth about Goku and Usagi, but he really wasn't listening; he just nodded.

Vegeta used his free hand to fish out his cell phone and dialed his son, not even bothering with pleasantries when Trunks picked up on the other line. "Is Kakarot there yet? …Tell him to bring Usagi to me, right now. Don't wait." He paused for a moment before furrowing his brow in worry. "Not good," he answered his son. "Hurry up."

"Why is she in her princess raiment?" Vegeta asked, once he'd hung up.

"Her crystal, I think," Piccolo grunted, starting to flag. He'd given her over half of his ki already, and was still steadily pouring it into her with no effect.

There was a flash of white light to their left. "It has her in stasis," Usagi answered flatly, whipping out her own crystal, which immediately transformed her into Neo Queen Serenity. "Give her to me," she ordered them firmly, leaving no room for argument in her voice as she knelt at Mako's side.

That white light flared around the two women for what seemed like a long time, and Piccolo merely basked in it, letting it calm him and bring him a sense of peace. If Usagi had gone royal, things were serious, but experience had taught him that Serenity never failed.

"I think she's pregnant," Vegeta whispered to him. "It doesn't smell right, though. There should be a note for you in her pocket, telling you to check her. And I've never seen pregnancy do this to a warrior before. Usagi's ki was taxed with Little Vegeta, yes, but not totally drained."

"You let my mate leave without an escort when you suspected she was pregnant?" Piccolo growled. The look of raw guilt on Vegeta's face kept him from spitting out a few biting remarks, but he was still angry with the Saiyan, and it showed.

"I wanted it to be a surprise for her," Vegeta admitted. "And I wasn't completely sure, either. I should have had Usagi check her." He looked to his daughter. "Usa?"

"Hai," she answered distractedly, "she is pregnant. The baby is absorbing all of her ki, and has also taken what you have given her. He will be very strong."

Having kept silent up until that point, Goku came around and patted Piccolo on the shoulder. "Congratulations, Piccolo." He tried to sound happy, but he was just as worried as the rest of them. "She'll be alright," he added.

"Do you need more of my ki?" Piccolo asked, leaning forward to give it if it was needed.

"Iie, the egg will only absorb it, Daimou," Serenity said gently. "Her crystal is keeping her alive. It was lucky that she had it, or things would have gone much worse."

"Piccolo…"

If he hadn't been Namekian, he wouldn't have heard her; her voice was so faint that he didn't think the Saiyans had even heard that bare whisper. "I'm here, Koto." He let out a choked breath of relief when her fingers moved slightly in his hand.

"Princess Jupiter, I need you to wake up," Serenity commanded. "You need to stay conscious, do you understand me?"

"Hai, Ouhi," she replied, trying her hardest to follow orders, but the temptation to sleep was drawing her back into darkness. She felt so warm and heavy and loved. Was that because of Piccolo's ki inside of her? It certainly wasn't because of Vegeta's. If she had the energy to tell him, she would have told the Prince of all Saiyans that even his ki felt snarky and trollish, as if the light of his energy within her body had a little mocking face drawn on it, sticking its tongue out at her and giving her the finger like some immature middle schooler. _What a douche, _she chuckled to herself. _A loveable douche, though._

"Damn it, girl," Vegeta snarled, leaning forward to shock her roughly with his ki. "You'd better do as your queen tells you and stay the fuck awake."

Mako jolted, and barely managed to crack her eyes open to look up at them all. She would have called Vegeta an asshole if she'd had the strength, but the only thing she could do as give him a brief and silent glare. So much for him being a _lovable_ douchebag. _And here I was, having such kind thoughts about you, Vegeta, _she mused. _Asshole._

"Don't give me that look, girl, or I'll do it again," he warned.

"That is quite enough, Vegeta Ouji," Serenity admonished, "though I thank you for waking her once more. Makoto Hime, I am going to have Goku-san take us to the clearing."

"Hai, Ouhi," she responded weakly, her eyes fluttering open and shut as she fought to stay awake. Once in the clearing, Makoto found her voice just enough to ask what was wrong.

"You are with child," Serenity informed her. "The first Namek born of a mother and a father, and the egg growing inside of you is absorbing all of your ki as fast as you can replenish it. I am feeding the child my light for now, in hopes that it will satisfy him and fill his well of power."

"Arigato, Serenity Ouhi." Makoto looked to Piccolo with sleepy, love-filled eyes. "Piccolo, if you have to choose…"

"Don't you dare," he growled at her, his own eyes and voice full of emotion. "I won't hear of it," he choked, fighting back tears. "You'll live, or I'll drag you right back down from King Kai's, you hear me?"

"Hai, Piccolo," she replied with a tiny smile. "Ai shiteru."

Both Piccolo and Vegeta stiffened at how much those words sounded like a farewell, but didn't have to say anything; Serenity did it for them. "You heard your mate," the queen said tartly, "you _will _live, Makoto, so do not dare to tell him goodbye."

"I don't mean to interrupt," Goku said from behind them. He wasn't as smart as Vegeta, but he did know when to keep his mouth shut, and seeing Usagi as Serenity was definitely one of those times. "But taking her to Namek might be a good idea. You have Kami and Nail's memories, right Piccolo? Any knowledge about eggs in there?"

Dende shrugged when they all turned to him as well. "Don't ask me, I'm just a kid."

"Kami and Nail never produced offspring," Piccolo rumbled, searching the barely separate parts of his mind that had once belonged to the other two Namekians. "But there's something… something about the egg taking almost all of the father's ki just before he spits it up." He nodded firmly, somehow sure that it was true. "It makes sense. The egg is still inside of her, so it's continuing to absorb her ki."

He thought for a moment longer, and gave Goku a look of gratitude. "I think you're right. Going to Namek would be the wisest decision. Surely someone there will know what to do for her. Or… at least have an idea," he amended, since she was the first woman to ever carry a Namekian egg. "Hopefully they'll help us… I'm not liked very much on my homeworld."

"I will come with you," Serenity said flatly. "They would not dare refuse the Queen of the Stars."

Vegeta hid a grin at the way her chin went up at that proclamation, her back impossibly straight with pride and an attitude that just dared anyone to fuck with her. "Are you sure you're not my daughter by blood?" He asked, keeping his face serious.

A hint of the girl he knew and loved came out, and Usagi rolled her eyes, surfacing for a moment in Serenity's body. "Ew, Tousan. That means I'm sleeping with my brother."

"Oh, he's not your fucking brother, girl. But you are most definitely my daughter," he added with a smirk.

Serenity was back again with an exasperated look on her face for the Saiyan prince, but there was a spark of laughter in her eyes as well. Usagi, Serenity, and Cosmos; all of them one, and none of them the same.

"I wish I could come, but I can't leave Earth," Dende said regretfully, levitating into the air. "I'll be at the Lookout if you need me upon your return."

"Thank you," Piccolo grunted, turning to Goku. "Ready?"

The moment they all appeared in the Guru's village, Piccolo wasn't at all surprised to see the Namekians recoil at the sight of him and Vegeta. "We need your help."

Taking in the sight of the Princess of Jupiter, and sensing her weak energy signature, one of the gawkers had the presence of mind to yell for Grand Elder Moori.

Piccolo grit his teeth as everyone around them hesitated to step forward and offer assistance until Moori arrived, his bodyguards at his side. "Moori," he grunted, inclining his head.

"Piccolo," he replied, but not coldly. "What's wrong with her?" Moori knelt at Makoto's side, smoothing back her hair from her face, and jumped a little when he sensed the life growing inside of her. "W—What is this?"

"She's my mate," he growled, knowing there was about to be a shitstorm the likes of which Namek hadn't seen in years.

"Can we please just skip the hows and the whys and get right to finding a solution?" Serenity asked tersely, finally speaking up. "Even my healing light is not helping matters, it seems, and the egg continues to drain anyone that attempts to share their ki with Makoto."

"Well… I… uh…" Moori scratched his head for a moment before sitting down with a thump in the grass next to the princess of Jupiter. "I've never encountered anything like this before. Give me a moment to think about it."

Sensing that Serenity was looking drained, Vegeta moved forward, making the elder's bodyguards jump. "Move," he growled at her, taking over as he began to feed Makoto his ki once more. "I have plenty to give, daughter, so take a break, damn it."

"Goku!"

The tall Saiyan turned his head and grinned. "Cargo!" He hugged the little Namek fondly, and patted his head as he sat him down. "You actually have great timing, Cargo. You're a healer; could you possibly try and help out my friend here? Your brother is still trying to think of a solution."

"Sure, I can try." Having no fear of Piccolo, since he could see that he barely had any evil left in him at all, Cargo pushed his way into the circle and only flinched for a moment at the sight of Vegeta. "You've _definitely_ changed," he mused, seeing into Vegeta's soul.

"Shut up, brat. Do what you can for Mako."

"It is more polite to ask, Tousan," Serenity corrected lightly, a hint of Usagi in her voice.

"Please," he growled. "There, happy girl?"

"Exceedingly. Thank you, Saiyan no Ouji."

Ignoring the usual background banter that was Vegeta and Usagi trading verbal jabs, Piccolo focused on what Cargo was doing. "She's carrying my child," he informed him, "and the egg is draining her ki so fast that she's not even getting time to replenish it. Her Jupiter crystal is keeping her alive, but she's still extremely weak."

"We'll have to remove the egg," Cargo said grimly. "She can't continue to carry it and hope to survive. She's human, so she can't spit it up the way we do."

Mako gasped something as her fingers tightened around Piccolo's.

"What?" The little healer asked, leaning in closer to her lips to hear her.

"I'm Jovian, not human," she whispered.

"Anatomy's the same as far as I'm concerned. Now, I have to ask, Piccolo… how exactly did you manage this?"

"The usual way that two creatures reproduce," he replied dryly. Piccolo tenderly brushed the back of his hand over Mako's cheek when her eyes fluttered shut for a moment. "Stay with me, Koto."

"Trying," she replied softly. "It's getting harder to fight the urge to pass out, honey." She turned her glassy green eyes to Cargo. "If you take the egg, what happens to it?"

"I… I honestly don't know," he replied, "but it's possible that it may be able to grow outside of you. It's already awfully big for only being a month old; I thought you were further along than that at first, but it doesn't have any speckles yet, so it can't be."

"And the baby?"

"Again, I don't know," he finished lamely, placing his small hand over her womb. "The chances are that it could go either way. I'm sorry that I can't tell you differently, but this is definitely a first."

"And if we leave it alone?" She asked, ignoring the way Piccolo's fist gripped her arm and the daggers he was glaring at her.

"You'll die. The egg will be too big for you to carry in a month, anyway. And the damage it would do to your body… it would grow too fast for your body to stretch and acclimate to it," Cargo informed her, squeezing her hand comfortingly.

"Ouhi?"

Serenity sat down at her head and ran her fingers through her unbound curls. "Hai, Makoto Hime, I am here."

"What do you think I should do?"

"With the information that our young friend has given us, I advise that you remove the egg and hope for the best. I will try and give the child some more of my power once it is out of your body, and see if that will sustain it."

"Dragon balls, maybe?" She asked weakly, wanting nothing more than to be able to carry her son to term like a normal woman. But then, this was not a normal child.

"It's been too soon since the last wish on Earth," Vegeta said quietly. "It'll be another month or so before they're usable again." Normally taking enjoyment in being the bearer of bad news, the way Makoto turned a little gray had him regretting the words the moment they left his mouth.

"And it would take too long to gather them here," Moori interjected.

"Piccolo?"

He leaned over his mate so she could see his face. "Yes, love," he answered thickly.

"I'm going to go to sleep now, and let my crystal put me back in stasis. Do what you think is best. I trust you, green bean." The Senshi of lightning gave a bittersweet smile when he kissed her gently. "I love you so much, Piccolo."

He nodded, unable to speak, but his eyes told her that he loved her in return, more than she would know. Piccolo kissed her once more when her eyes fluttered shut and the green glow around her intensified.

"Daimou?" Serenity asked, "what do you want to do?"

"Take the egg," he said roughly, "and do what you can for it, Majesty."

Serenity nodded, and made eye contact with Vegeta, grateful that he immediately got the silent message she was trying to give him with her body language. Her father gave her a quick nod and immediately stood, dragging Piccolo up by his arm. "Come on, Namek, I could use some sparring time."

"Yeah," Goku agreed, catching on quickly. It was an unspoken thing between him and Vegeta, but at the births of Goten, Bra, Pan, and Vegeta Jr, one of them had always drug the other off for a day of sparring while the woman labored, at least until the time came to push. Neither of them did well with the sitting and waiting that giving birth required, and while Piccolo could be an exception, he didn't need to be around while someone was cutting his mate open. "Come on, Piccolo," the taller Saiyan urged, grabbing him by his other arm when he hesitated. "Usagi will call us when we can come back."

Piccolo barely nodded, looking back to his mate one last time when both Saiyans started tugging him into the trees. He found himself being shooed away regally by Serenity, who gave him a few reassuring words before he allowed himself to be dragged off.

**Yeah, this fic is a lot longer than I originally planned… story of my life, lol. Well, at least story of TSG, this is how that particular fic got so damned long, plus a sequel and a collection of oneshots. Good lord, what have I gotten myself into… Anyways, R&R people, PLEASE!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Due to a lack of internet, and then a lack of computer monitor, I couldn't even type up stuff, so I'm working on it now. I'm also trying to cut back my computer time to spend more time with my children, so my updates will be less frequent; I hope yall understand! If you don't, oh well. So, here it is, the next chapter of Attraction! Please R&R if you like it! I'll be updating History later today as well!**

"Thank Selene for Saiyan muscle," Serenity sighed.

"Which one are you mated to?" Cargo asked curiously, pointing at the mark on her shoulder, recently reopened.

"Prince Trunks, Vegeta's son," she replied with a slight blush. "Now, my friend, give me a moment. I should be at full strength for this, just in case." Serenity removed her henshin broach from her subspace. "Cosmic Star Power, make up!"

All of the Nameks in the clearing immediately jumped back, jaws on the ground, when she immediately transformed into Sailor Cosmos, Queen of the Stars, and after a moment, bowed before her. "Majesty, forgive me, I did not know you in your other form," Moori said.

"Don't worry about it," Cosmos sighed. "I hate this form, so come on. We can't afford to waste any time." Her sword appeared in her hand, and she knelt once more at Makoto's side. "Cargo, you can heal up the damage right after, correct?"

"Yes, Majesty," he answered brightly, completely in awe of her. Everyone on Namek knew who Sailor Cosmos was, which was no surprise to her. Piccolo and Dende had known her on sight as well. "I'm honored to work with you."

"Yeah, yeah," Cosmos sputtered. "Let's just get this over with, kid."

####################

Both Goku and Vegeta were worried when Piccolo half-heartedly continued to block their attacks, not even bothering to counter as he looked back towards the village for the millionth time in the last hour.

"Focus, Namek," Vegeta growled, landing a punch to his face.

Piccolo spat blood on the ground and gave him a glare, but that was half-hearted, too. "I'm trying."

"Aw, give him a break, Vegeta. If it was Bulma or Usa, you wouldn't even be able to power up a Big Bang Attack," Goku said flatly, regretting his words the moment they came out of his mouth and Piccolo's complexion went from green to nearly yellow. "Shit. Piccolo, I'm sorry!" It only worried him further when he hugged him out of compassion and the Namekian actually returned it.

Vegeta huffed in frustration and shook his head. He was totally not equipped to deal with this sort of thing, that's why him and Kakarot just pounded on each whenever a child was about to be born. Things were so much easier to deal with when senseless violence was involved. "She'll be fine," he finally managed. "Usagi went Cosmos, so don't you dare doubt her survival. My daughter does not fail."

And that was _precisely_ why Piccolo was so worried. Going royal for Usagi was one thing, but she hated being Cosmos, and avoided transforming at all costs. But if she had actually transformed to the Queen of the Stars… that alone told him how serious his mate's condition was. Swallowing, he separated from Goku and gave them both the barest of nods.

"Look, Piccolo," Vegeta grunted, knowing that using his name for once would get his attention, "there's nothing you can do to help her, and we'd only get in the way if we went back to the village. Besides, you know how much Usagi hates it when people hover while she's working."

Piccolo just nodded and floated back to the ground, sitting down with little grace, waiting to feel Koto's energy signature blooming in his mind once more. But when he focused on the village, he only found Dende, Moori, and the rest of the Nameks in the village, surrounding the bright white and silver light that was Usagi in her Cosmos form.

Vegeta and Goku exchanged a look and just floated back down to join him, folding their legs in a meditative pose and closing their eyes. Apparently beating the shit out of something wasn't the Namekian way of dealing with the stress of a mate giving birth.

The expecting father managed to calm down to some degree after ten minutes or so of just letting his mind go blank, though he was still keeping a mental eye on the dots of energy signatures to the west. Then he felt it, a brand new ki signature joining the others, and was jerked back down when he tried to stand.

Vegeta released his arm, not even bothering to open his eyes or move. "Just wait, Namek," he said calmly. He'd also been watching, if only to keep an eye on his daughter's ki. "Kakarot, go get Trunks and bring him back quickly," he added, when he felt Usagi's transformation _slip_, rather than purposely change, back into Neo Queen Serenity. And her ki was still dropping steadily; she'd be Sailor Moon in only a matter of minutes.

Goku was gone and back in less than thirty seconds with Trunks in tow, who immediately sensed his mate's falling energy, and rocketed towards the village, followed by the rest of them.

"That's enough," Trunks growled at his mate, the moment he was at her side, breathing heavily as he fought to keep that aggressive, domineering Saiyan nature leashed.

Serenity merely shoved at him lightly through their bond, telling him she was nearly done, and he needed to just step back. She didn't even look up at him as she did it.

"Fine," he snapped, not happy with what she was doing, but unable to stop her without ruining whatever it was she was trying to accomplish. Rolling his eyes, he held up a hand to halt Piccolo when he tried to enter the circle of green and silver light. "She says to wait a moment, that the presence of your ki will disrupt the balance she's constructed."

Piccolo stepped back and merely stared at his mate, who was ridiculously pale, but breathing normally. There was blood on her dress from her chest to her knees, but Cargo was working diligently to finish healing her while Serenity concentrated on the large white object sitting in front of her.

He took a step forward at the sight of the egg, but was snatched back by both Goku and Vegeta before he could cross the barrier surrounding the healers. The ki emanating from it was so strong that it was scary, and it seemed that Serenity was feeding it even more of her own. "I can help if you need more power," he rumbled.

"Iie, Daimou. I am nearly finished." Sure enough, Serenity pulled back and gave a sigh of pure exhaustion after another few minutes of pouring power into the egg, and the barrier around them all faded.

Trunks caught his mate just as she pitched forward and cradled her carefully in his arms. "You're a fucking idiot," he growled at her.

"Daijoubo ka," she whispered, closing her eyes for a moment as she rested her head against his chest. She let her transformation go to conserve energy, and her dress faded into her tank top and shorts as her hair fell out of the royal hairstyle and pooled around them like a curtain of gold.

"You're anything but fine, woman," the young prince huffed, a low comforting purr emanating from his chest. "But you are amazing."

"Of course I am," she replied tartly, opening her eyes. Usagi wasn't surprised to see Piccolo kneeling at his mate's side, his attention focused only on her. "You can give her some of your ki now, Piccolo."

"Oh, here." Trunks supported Usagi's weight with his knee for a moment while he dug out a senzu and tossed it to the Namek, who immediately stuck it in Makoto's mouth. The prince pulled out a second bean and stuck it in Usagi's mouth as well. "There, beloved. See, I come prepared."

Piccolo sagged with relief when Makoto's eyes cracked open and looked up at him. The color was returning to her face, and her eyes were already a lot less glassy as the senzu did its work. "No, stay still," he ordered, when she tried to sit up.

"He's right," Cargo said, standing and stretching. Now that she'd had the senzu, he didn't need to heal her anymore. "Just rest for a few minutes until you're fully healed, princess."

She nodded and turned her head to see the white egg resting on the ground. "But… it's huge," she whispered, trying once more to sit up. Jupiter was grateful to feel Piccolo's solid arms and strong back supporting her from behind, and she leaned against him. "There's no way my body could have been carrying that thing, it's bigger than a toddler."

"It's been growing," Usagi said wearily. "I had to give it nearly all of my power, which it will draw off of until it's time for it to hatch. Apparently being half Jovian is making this baby behave a little differently than a Namekian infant. It shouldn't have needed more than most of your own power, but this one… he's a greedy little bastard," Usagi stated, a smirk playing at her lips.

"He's going to be very powerful," Moori said carefully, eyeing the father of the egg. Hopefully the child in that egg wouldn't start things out like his father had.

"Not as much as you think," the moon princess replied, shifting so that she was sitting in Trunks's lap. "He's going to feed off a ton of that power while he's growing in the egg. If Ami was here, she could probably tell you for sure, but I think he'll be somewhere around Trunks or Goten's strength." She huffed and shook her head. "And I'm telling you right now, you've got a date with those thrice-damned dragon balls when we get back home, Mako. I don't mind healing you, but you're not putting us all through this sort of emotional stress again."

Makoto nodded, and lifted her hand when she felt something warm and round in it, and found her Jupiter crystal. "I got really lucky, didn't I?"

"You have no idea," Piccolo rumbled, kissing her gently, ignoring the stares from the Namekians around him at that affectionate gesture.

The blood-soaked gown disappeared when she tucked the crystal back into her subspace, and was replaced with her clean skirt and top, the clothes she'd worn to Capsule Corp only that afternoon, and she breathed a sigh of comfort.

"So, now that your mate is out of danger, would you mind telling me exactly how—" Moori pointed to the egg—"_that _happened?"

Usagi stuck her hand in the air and smiled sheepishly. "Guilty as charged, sorry."

"So… this woman wanted a child, and you put it in her with your power, Majesty?" The elder asked in disbelief.

"No," Usagi snorted, trying not to join in with Vegeta and Trunks's trollish laughter, "I gave him the equipment to put it there himself. Not that they meant to so soon, but shit happens."

"Usa, I thought that shot was supposed to protect us from pregnancy for six months?" Makoto interrupted.

"Yeah, but it only kills off an unfertilized egg and keeps you from ovulating any more for six months. It won't terminate a pregnancy that's already there," she said flatly. "Yes," she clarified, when Piccolo and Mako just gaped at her, "you got knocked up the very first night, it seems."

Piccolo let out a shuddering groan and nuzzled his mate's hair apologetically. "Damned hormones," he muttered, "I'm sorry, Koto, I should have kept the presence of mind to—"

"Shut up," she chuckled, nipping at the tip of his ear, "takes two to tango, you know. I'm just as responsible, so drop it." Mako looked back to Usagi. "So, will the shot still work for the remaining five or so months? Or do I need to take another?"

"You're safe. The same thing happened with Trunks and me; things got out of hand that first night and well… that's how we wound up with a miniature Vegeta."

"You should be proud to have had a tiny me growing in you, girl." Vegeta merely smirked at her when she rolled her eyes and gave him the finger. "No, girl, that's my son's job."

"Ugh, it wasn't a suggestion, Tousan. And besides, from what I've heard, Trunks is _**so**_ much better at it than you are," she added dryly, drawing confused looks from the Nameks around her. "Don't mind me," she told them, "Tousan and I tend to go back and forth with our little potty mouths."

"You get used to it," Trunks snickered.

They rested for another hour, while Moori and Cargo consulted with Usagi about Piccolo's new "equipment," and frankly the Nameks were relieved to see them all go back to earth. Piccolo was always stirring up trouble whenever he arrived, and that day had been no exception.

Piccolo was glad that he hadn't recapsulated the house after she'd left, since she'd only put it back in the clearing for the purpose of baking and doing a few loads of laundry. He'd be damned if she was sleeping on the ground for the next few nights, and since it was getting chilly outside, they needed a place that was warm to keep the egg.

"You got her, Namek?"

He nodded wearily as he carried Koto into the house, grateful that she'd dozed off on Namek, and gently tucked her into the bed. He kissed her when she shifted in the bed and reached for him. "Sleep, Koto. I'll keep watch over you and our son." Sighing with relief as she dropped back off, he went back outside to find all of the Senshi waiting, not just Usagi, or even the Inners. _All_ of the Senshi had come. "Haruka," Piccolo said carefully, noting the strained look on her face. He'd seen her fight more than once, and in a straight brawl without using any ki, she would actually stand a chance at beating him. He couldn't say that for many people.

When Sailor Uranus gave him a respectful, albeit curt, nod, he relaxed a little and greeted Setsuna, Michiru, and Hotaru. He'd only met them all twice, but Koto had told him more than enough stories; he practically felt like he'd known them for years.

"Usa already filled us in," Hotaru said softly. "If it's alright…?"

Piccolo nodded and pointed to the house. "You have my gratitude for checking her, Saturn."

"No problem. She's our sister, Piccolo," she answered with a shy smile, disappearing through the back door.

"What she said," Haruka agreed. "We're not mad at you, if that's what you're thinking. This isn't your fault, Piccolo. We were just worried about her, especially when all of the Inners were calling, asking where you'd gone to."

"That would be my fault," Usagi spoke up, still cradled in her mate's arms. "We had to act fast, Ruka, we didn't have time to call anyone. Mako was on death's door— God, Piccolo, I'm sorry," she sighed, when he made a pained face and visibly paled. "She'll be fine now, I swear it. You know damned well that I wouldn't be going home if I doubted her safety."

"Piccolo, did you get a senzu?" Goku huffed when he shook his head. "Here." And before he could protest, the Saiyan flooded him with his ki, having more than enough to give since he hadn't blown any on the egg. "Better?"

"Yes, thank you."

"Well, knowing you, you're going to be up all night worrying yourself sick, so I thought I'd at least make sure you had the energy to actually do so," Goku said with a goofy grin.

"Not to swamp you with another problem, Piccolo, but there is the question of what to do about the egg," Rei said gently, laying a hand on his arm. "If you can set up some sort of place to put it, I can make sure it stays warm throughout the night, so both of you can get some rest."

"I'd put it in the bed with us, but I don't want it to get smacked against," he mumbled. Piccolo finally nodded. "I'll get some blankets or something for it and put it in the spare bedroom."

"Good. I'll get to work on magically infusing the bed to stay at a constant warm temperature."

"I'll help," Ami offered, toting her doctor's bag. "If it gets too hot, I can cool the bed back down until you get it right."

"Namek, I'm heading home," Vegeta rumbled. "I'll keep my mind focused in this direction; signal if you need help."

Piccolo blinked in surprise before giving Vegeta a respectful nod. "I appreciate it, Vegeta."

"Well, she's my daughter, almost as much as Usagi is." A tiny smirk flickered on his mouth for a moment. "Feel like calling me 'Dad,' Namek?"

"Pht, not a chance, Saiyan."

Vegeta grinned, pleased that he'd annoyed the Namek, since it made him feel like he was back on equal footing once more. Being nice to him was definitely not _normal_, and he'd be grateful for things to return to normal as soon as possible.

"Trunks, set me down and let me check the egg." Usagi glared at him when he shook his head and growled at her. "I can't check the egg when someone else is touching me, baka, so put me _down_," she growled right back.

"You're going straight to bed when we get home."

"Ok."

"And you're letting me get you something to eat and drink."

"FINE. Just put me down, damn it!" Usagi shot Uranus a look when she heard the blonde chuckle. "Shut up, Haruka."

"Hey, at least I approve of your choice in men this time," she countered, wrapping an arm around her lover.

"At least that's true," she grumbled, going right to the knee-high egg the moment she was standing on her own. "Well, his growth seems to have slowed to normal, thank Selene. Piccolo, would you like to see? It's sort of like a magical ultrasound."

"You mean that I can see my son?" Intrigued and more than just a little excited at the prospect, he knelt next to the princess of the moon and let her place one of his hands on the egg while she took the other in one of her own.

Usagi smiled at his immediate gasp. "Pretty cool, huh?"

Unable to keep the thick emotion from his voice, Piccolo nodded, his eyes closed as he looked at what Koto and him had created. "We made that," he whispered. "He's so tiny."

Usagi nodded. "Yeah, the egg will continue to grow once he gets bigger; it's only so big because it needed room to house all the power that it'll need to draw off of."

"He's only a little bigger than my hand."

"Heh, don't worry, he'll be flying and have his head up your ass before you know it, Piccolo. They grow up too fast. Huh. Well, wait a minute. Nameks grow up _really _fast, don't they? I wonder if he'll grow like a human or somewhere in between instead."

"No clue, Usagi. This is a first." Releasing her hand and drawing back, he nodded to Trunks. "You should go home and get some rest, princess. Your mate's looking a little more… Saiyan than usual."

"Yeah, yeah. Don't you start too, Piccolo."

"He's only doing what I would be doing, Usagi. Koto's not leaving the bed for days if I get my way."

"I'll send some food capsules then, I can only imagine the fiasco that is _you_ cooking," she teased.

###################

Makoto found herself pinned by a Namek moving at a ridiculous speed the moment she tried to roll out of the bed, and stared at him wide-eyed. "Where the fuck did you come from?"

He'd only been monitoring her ki during the last hour, since he knew she was an earlier riser, and had dashed out of the baby's room the moment he felt her ki shift and move. "You're not getting up, Koto. Lie down and rest."

Makoto sighed and tried for a smile. "Piccolo, I know that Namekians don't pee, but Jovians do, sweetheart. And I really **really** have to pee right now."

"Oh." Piccolo sighed and nodded. "Sorry, I forget about that sometimes. I'll carry you."

"I'm fine!" She insisted, trying her damnedest not to sound nasty with him. "Look, I understand that you had a really bad scare last night; I did too. But I have to draw the line at taking me to the bathroom, Piccolo. That's… really embarrassing, ok?"

"Why?"

"Because it is! It's a human thing, ok? Using the bathroom is a really private matter, honey. Now, if you insist, you can stay outside the door, ok? But that's it." Makoto sighed with relief when he thought it over and finally nodding, scooping her into his arms before taking her to the bathroom door.

"I'll be out in a minute," she assured him, stepping into the bathroom and shutting the door behind her. She did her business, and wasn't surprised to find herself bleeding. "Thank Jupiter for subspace pockets," she sighed, digging around for a fresh pair of underwear, skirt, and pads.

"You're taking too long," Piccolo rumbled from outside the door.

"I'm fine," she snapped. "It's normal, first off, so don't freak out. But I'm bleeding, and I'm having to—" She frowned when he immediately swung the door open and paled at the sight of her skirt and underwear, discarded on the floor. "It's _**normal**_, big man. I had a baby last night, for God's sake. I'll bleed for a week or two, depending on how much blood I lost from my uterus when they removed the egg." When he only continued to stare at the blood, she tugged him down to her, linking her hands with his. "Look, Piccolo, I'm not lying to you or myself, ok? Just look and see."

The Namek closed his eyes and saw the truth in her mind, that women bled like that after childbirth, c-section or not, and that she was not bleeding more than was normal. "The human body is so damned strange," he sighed.

"You'll get used to this sort of thing, green bean," she said gently, stroking an antenna in an attempt to comfort him. "We're gonna have more of these babies as the years wear on, and before you know it, you'll be a pro at labor and delivery, and postpartum. I've worked with Ami enough to know, trust me. If I think something's wrong, I swear that I'll tell you immediately, ok?"

"You'd better," he grunted, kissing her forehead. "I'll go change the bedding for you. Call me if you need any help."

God, he was too sweet. "I will, honey." She resumed getting cleaned up, leaving the door open despite her embarrassment, since she knew that his worry for her had reached a ridiculous level; she'd seen it in his mind.

Blood free, she finally exited the bathroom in a clean set of pajamas, and threw her soiled clothes in the hamper. She climbed into the bed when he pointed at it and gave her an order to lie down that she wasn't going to bother arguing with. After seeing how bad she'd scared him, she'd let him fuss and bark orders if it gave him back some sense of control and balance. "Did you sleep at all, honey?"

"I was up watching you and the egg. I've been drinking coffee, and Goku gave me some of his ki, so I'll be fine."

"Piccolo… get your ass in bed. Now. And get some sleep. I'll stay up with the egg. Besides, I need to get up and cook something to eat, anyway." She sighed and flopped back on her pillow when he only glared at her; he didn't need to use words to order her around, he never had. "Fine. Then what's the plan, Piccolo? You stay awake for what? The next several months? While you coddle me like a child?"

"No, the plan is to stay awake for the next week while you recover, then finally let you get up." Even he admitted to himself that the notion was ridiculous, but it was the only option he'd been able to come up with. "What are you doing?" He asked, when she pulled out her communicator.

"Calling in reinforcements. You want me to stay abed, fine. I feel like shit anyway, and I'm not too proud to admit it. But you're getting some sleep, too, Piccolo. Unless you want a fight on your hands… and believe you me, you haven't seen me pissed off yet. Not even close. And I _always_ win when I'm pissed."

Calling the only person she knew that would be awake, Makoto inwardly cringed just a little bit, but was surprised to see nothing but concern etched into Vegeta's face. "Hey, Tousan. Who all is awake right now?"

"Just me, girl. Are you alright?"

"Yeah, but Piccolo seems to think he's the Super Namek or something—ok fine, I _know_ he's the Super Namek, but he's talking crazy, Vegeta."

He just smirked and nodded in understanding; it was sounding more and more like the way a Saiyan would have reacted to his mate nearly dying. "I'll be there in a little while to relieve him, girl, at least until Trunks wakes up. I'm already watching one brat, I may as well add another to it."

"Thank you, Tousan, I'm sorry to impose, but—"

"Shut up, girl, you're not imposing. You nearly died, and your mate is only protecting you from yourself. I'd do the same."

Click.

"He never says goodbye on the phone, _ever,_ does he?" She snorted, putting her communicator away. "I don't suppose…?"

"What?" Piccolo asked suspiciously. Koto rarely gave him those shining green puppy dog eyes, and it was only when she was about to ask for something he normally would say no to. "You're not cooking, if that's what you're about to ask for."

"No, not that… can I see our son? Please?"

"The puppy eyes weren't necessary for that, woman. Of course you can see him." Piccolo scooped her up and took her right to the adjacent room, where the egg was nestled in a pile of blankets on top of the bed.

Makoto ran her hands over it when he set her on the bed, then kissed it and rested her head against the shell. "Our baby," she said softly in wonder. "What should we name him?"

"I have no clue," Piccolo admitted. "I thought about that for part of the night."

"We could name him Nail," she suggested. When he frowned, she chuckled. "Ok, since he's the first born of a woman, maybe something more unique?"

"My name means 'new world' in Namekian."

Makoto giggled at that and nodded, knowing where he was headed. "What about 'impossible?' Because he is, you know."

"Tantu." Piccolo nodded slowly, trying out the word once more. "I like it."

"His name will be breakfast if you don't set these capsules on a tray," Vegeta chuckled from the doorway. "Right now he's looking like a Saiyan-sized omelet to me."

"EAT! Paw-Paw EAT!"

Makoto and Piccolo both blinked at the sight of the Saiyan infant hanging off of Vegeta, trying his damnedest to climb all over him like a jungle gym. He was identical to his grandfather, right down to the dramatic upsweep of hair and the little tail that was wrapped around the crown prince's wrist. "How old is he now?" She asked in wonder.

"Six months. His development is on par with that of a normal Saiyan brat; he's already walking." And then Vegeta plucked the child back into his arms so gently, and with so much affection in his movements, that Mako couldn't help but smile. "Slippery little brat," he said with a smirk, when Veggie used his tail the swing to the ground and quickly made tracks to his favorite aunt.

"KO! KO! UP!"

Piccolo stiffened when his mate picked up the child, but since she didn't seem to have any pain from the action, he relented.

"Hey, Veggie. See this?" Makoto laid his little hand on the surface of the egg. "This is Auntie Koto and Uncle Piccy's baby. So you have to be very careful around it, ok?"

"Om nom."

"Noooo, no om noms, this isn't an egg you eat, honey." She shot a glare at Vegeta, who was obviously trying not to laugh. "No omelet jokes in front of him, Tousan, I mean it. This boy hangs on your every word, and I don't want something bad to happen." She turned back to her nephew, satisfied, when Vegeta stifled a laugh and nodded.

"No om nom," Veggie said seriously, studying the egg. "Bee bee. Bee bee hot?"

"No, he's not hot, he just has to be kept very warm until he comes out of the egg. Now promise me you won't come see the baby without me or Uncle Piccy, ok Veggie? If you want to see him, just get one of us, and we'll sit with you."

"Play?"

"Not yet, in a few months, sweetie. Tantu's still sleeping." Mako laughed, and even Piccolo smirked when Veggie frowned and tapped very lightly on the shell.

"Up! Wake up! Ass outta bed!"

"Oh, and I wonder where he learned _that_ word, huh, Paw Paw?" She asked dryly.

"Alright, Koto. Ass in the bed, now," Piccolo ordered, plucking the Saiyan child from her arms.

Unfazed, Veggie immediately perched on Piccolo's shoulder as if he belonged there, using his tail for balance. "Picca, Ko got boo-boo?"

"Yes," he rumbled; this child reminded him an awful lot of Gohan, despite the fact that he was Vegeta's grandchild. "I've got him," he assured the Saiyan prince, when he also scooped up his mate.

The moment he put Koto in the bed, though, Veggie was diving off of his shoulder and snuggling in next to her. "Brat, you need to be careful with your Aunt Mako, you hear me?" Vegeta said firmly. "No roughhousing. You stay in here, that's fine, but you're laying down with her if you do. You're a Saiyan warrior; you protect the females in your family. I'll watch the egg, you watch Mako."

"Kay, Paw Paw. Ko safe, I here."

A big smile on her face, Mako hugged the child to her and downright grinned when he wrapped his tail around her protectively and started purring. "He is too freaking cute, Tousan."

"Of course he is. He looks like me," he snorted, stalking back into the kitchen. Assuming that the Namek had no clue about food, the prince decided to wait on himself for once in his life and activated the capsules on several trays. "Here," he grunted, "give this one to your mate. I'm not a nurse."

"But you're a babysitter?" Piccolo deadpanned, not even bothering to look back to catch Vegeta's patented glare of death.

"Watch it, Namek, I'm doing you a favor!"

"And you have our thanks, Tousan!" Mako yelled from the bedroom. "I think I just might make you another Saiyan-sized cheesecake!"

The Prince of all Saiyans bit back another remark at the mention of cheesecake; he'd already eaten the remains of the last one for breakfast. "I want cookies, too, girl!"

"Should be some on the counter already, Tousan! Would you mind bringing one for Veggie, since he's being such a good little protector?" Mako grinned when Vegeta strode in and handed the baby a huge chocolate chip cookie.

"Ko! Om nom nom!?" He asked in delight, sitting up at the tray table like a little gentleman.

"Go nuts, kid. You can share my breakfast, too, if you'd like."

"Make sure you get your fill before you let him at it," Vegeta advised. "He's small, but he eats like a Saiyan. Hand of God, I swear. That boy's my legacy," he added with a proud grin.

"I thought Trunks was your legacy?"

"Yes, and my son is a true Saiyan. But his brat looks and acts just like his Paw Paw. He's _my_ boy," he finished smugly, leaving the room to check on his next grandbrat. And it was, whether he liked it or not, since he'd adopted Makoto in a way. Even if it was going to be green.

##################

Piccolo blinked as he entered the spare room, wondering if he was seeing things in his exhaustion. He'd only slept three hours, despite his need for rest; a nightmare about the egg breaking had woken him. "Gohan?"

"Hey, sensei. Miss me?" He asked with a grin. He gave Piccolo a quick, manly hug when his teacher sat down next to him in front of the egg; since no one was around, he knew Piccolo wouldn't say anything about it. "That's really something, I must say."

"Yes. We're naming him Tantu."

"Impossible is right," Gohan snorted into his coffee.

Piccolo couldn't help the slow smile that crept over his mouth; after all these years, Gohan still spoke the Namekian language. "I thought you and Ami were abroad?"

"Well, when the Outers showed up and teleported her here, then back a few hours later, you can imagine that I was more than a little worried," he replied seriously. "To need a doctor that badly…" He shook his head and patted his sensei's shoulder when Piccolo blanched at the memory of the night before. "She's fine, Ami already told me. Don't worry so much. Anyways, Ami told me what had happened, so I decided to cut our trip short. And I'll admit, I was a little curious to learn that _you'd_ taken a mate… and then Ami had to make me sit down and stick my head between my legs to keep me from passing out when she told me that you'd fathered a child."

"I'm surprised that your father didn't tell you. Koto and I have been together for nearly three months."

"Yeah, his answer was that since you and I are close, he wanted me to hear it from the horse's mouth. Imagine that… _my_ father, keeping his mouth shut."

"Took the words out of my mouth, boy," Piccolo chuckled, unable to stop himself from reaching out to run his hand over the egg. He blinked at the sight of a fuzzy length twitching against it from the other side. "Usagi's son is still here?"

"Yeah, he absolutely refused to leave when I showed up to relieve Vegeta. Damn near pitched a tantrum, and according to Vegeta, Veggie never does that. Like, **ever**. So I offered to keep an eye on him. Vegeta actually seemed a little worried about his behavior, and said something about 'imprinting.'"

Piccolo groaned a little at that, but it made sense. "It's a Saiyan thing, and it's highly uncommon, but sometimes Saiyan young will imprint with another close to their age. They grow up closer than siblings. Trunks and Goten are an example; you couldn't have pried them apart for anything when they were babies."

"Looks like you'll be seeing a lot more of Vegeta!" Gohan laughed, patting Piccolo on the back.

"Lucky me," he grunted. "I'm glad to finally see you, boy," Piccolo said after several minutes of companionable silence.

"Me too," Gohan rumbled. "So… I have to ask how it all happened, Piccolo. I've been dying to know since I was told you two were together."

"Only because it's you, Gohan," Piccolo sighed, and proceeded to tell him the story.

Much to the Namek's ire, Makoto wandered in towards the end of the story and gave him a sunny smile, knowing exactly how much it was bothering him to see her out of bed. "I'm fine, honey," she whispered against his mouth, giving him the lightest of kisses.

"My mother was running around the next day after giving birth to Goten," Gohan remarked, giving Piccolo a pat on the back.

"Your mother didn't give birth to a Namekian egg," Piccolo replied flatly, his tone leaving no room for argument. "Lay down, Koto."

"Yes, your Majesty," she chuckled, and even let him tuck a blanket around her when she laid down next to the egg. She grinned when she found Veggie, and pulled him into her arms, tucking him to her chest.

Gohan just watched the two of them, a small, pleased smile on his face. This was even better than he could have hoped for; his oldest and most trusted friend had finally found happiness and love, and was he… fussing? Dear Kami, that was just too amusing, the sight of Piccolo fussing over anyone, let alone a student. "You hungry, Mako? Thirsty? I know Mom ate like a Saiyan for weeks after Goten was born, and she was always thirsty."

"Nah, I just ate a few minutes ago, but thank you."

"Ko, I eat," the baby grumbled, wrapping his tail around her.

"Ok, sweetie, I'll get you something," she chuckled, but the moment she tried to slide out of bed, the tiny Saiyan growled at her and tugged at her leg with his tail. "What?"

"Ko boo-boo. I keep safe. Picca get food, Paw Paw say so."

Makoto rolled her eyes when Piccolo flashed her a triumphant grin. "Boy, you're getting a cookie for that," the Namek rumbled.

"I swear, I'm being conspired against," she snorted, but couldn't help but giggle when Veggie sat up and pulled her back so she was lying down, a frown on his face that was identical to Vegeta's. "Ok, ok. I'm laying down. Happy?"

Veggie grunted and gave her a sharp nod, every action a legacy of his grandfather, and turned his head to glare at Gohan when he chuckled. "No laugh, Kaka brat. I protect Ko."

"Did he just call me…?"

"Yeah," Mako snorted.

"And did he just call my father…?" Gohan laughed when she nodded, a sheepish smile on her face.

"Vegeta was thrilled when he learned that 'kaka' was slang for shit. He went on about it for days, but it annoyed him when Goku actually found it funny, too. Goten's taken to calling him Kaka as well whenever Veggie's around," she giggled, pulling the baby onto her chest to kiss his forehead. "You're a good protector, Veggie," she cooed, "a strong Saiyan warrior."

Vegeta Jr purred happily at that and nuzzled her neck. "Play with bee-bee now?"

"Still sleeping, sweetheart. A few months, remember?"

"Fine," he snorted. "Bee-bee wake, I play. Bee-bee my brother."

**I wasn't sure where to end this chapter, but oh well. And for the record, Veggie's potty mouth if very much my youngest son, Danny. :D I'm always listening to "Get yo ass outta the kitchen!" and "Gabe, come here, I kick yo ass!" and "Bullshit." He'll grow out of it, though, all of my boys did by the time they were three, thank God. Please R&R yall!**


	6. Chapter 6

**After all the waiting, the second to last chapter of Attraction! WOOOO! Sacrifice is next, yall. I've been writing that in pieces and I'm putting it all together, trying to decide the order that things need to happen in. History will be up in a few days, hopefully by Friday, and TGS2 is about ready. So enjoy yall! And please R&R!**

With a sigh of annoyance at being awakened yet again in the wee hours of the morning, Piccolo patiently pushed Makoto's hands away from the hem of his pants. "No, Koto," he grumbled.

Mako heaved her own sigh, one of complete frustration with her mate, and flopped back onto her pillow. "I stopped bleeding over a week ago," she grit through her teeth, "and we're safe from getting pregnant again."

Ugh, again with this same argument? "No, Koto," he repeated, fighting for patience. "Go to sleep, you need your rest."

"No I don't!" She snapped. "I've done nothing but sleep and eat and lay around for over two weeks, and I'm tired of being coddled like an infant!" When he simply chose not to answer her, she lay there quietly for a few minutes before finally asking him the question that had been plaguing her for days. "You still want me, right?"

His dark eyes opening at the sound of the tremor in her voice, Piccolo sat up and regarded her seriously. "Yes, I do," he snorted. "I've been fighting the urge to throw you down and take you for a week. But I refuse to hurt you," he added with a hint of tenderness, trying to soothe her by running his fingers through her hair.

Growling in frustration, Mako sat up and glared at him. "You're not going to hurt me, Piccolo! Dende, I love you, but you're simply being dense! I didn't give birth vaginally, and Cargo and Usagi completely healed me! I'm done bleeding, so therefore I'm fine!" She held out her hands when he sighed and shook his head. "Look and see for yourself, Piccolo. I'm fine."

"No," he grunted, and frowned when tears leapt into her eyes at his refusal. "We're not having sex until I'm positive that you're fully healed, Koto, and that's final."

########################

"Gods, not another one."

"Shut up, Tousan," Usagi hissed towards the door, slowly rubbing Makoto's back, using her light in an attempt to soothe her sister.

"What's wrong?" Vegeta huffed. He'd already dealt with one crying female that morning, so he might as well make it two. "Is the omelet alright?"

"Tantu's fine," Usagi sighed. "Shh, honey, it's ok," she added, hugging Mako tightly. "He's just a fucking idiot. Not you," she said quickly to Vegeta.

"Then you must be referring to the Namek. Yeah, I'll agree. He's an idiot," Vegeta chuckled. "So, what did the brainless fucktard do this time?"

"Shut up!" Mako snapped at him, shooting him a glare. "And don't call him that!"

"Ooo, getting defensive for the man—err, whatever he is—that made you cry? Make up your damned mind, girl." Vegeta perched on a bar stool and smirked when she only continued to glare at him. 'So, what did the fucktard do?"

Usagi blinked when she sensed Makoto preparing to lunge at her father, and quickly inserted herself between the two of them. "It's what he won't do," she said gently, in order to satisfy Vegeta's curiosity. "He won't sleep with her."

The Prince of all Saiyans just stared at both of them for a moment before muttering something in Saiyan and shaking his head. "I take it back. He's not the fucktard. You are, girl. You gave birth, what? Three weeks ago? And you terrified the **hell **out of your mate in the process. The rest of us too, I'll admit. If it were Bulma, I'd be afraid of breaking her in half," he said flatly. "Stupid women," he muttered.

"She's totally healed, Tousan," Usagi said patiently, running her fingers through Mako's hair. At least she wasn't crying anymore; Vegeta's tactics of pissing people off had a tendency to make them focus on something other than what was bothering them. "If Kassan were avoiding you like this, wouldn't you be a little upset?"

"No," he snorted. "I'd know through the bond why— oh. You don't have a mating bond, I forgot. Damn, that does pose a problem." Vegeta grinned after a few moments and actually winked at his chestnut-haired daughter. "I have an idea. Of course… if I help you with this, you can't ever breathe a word to Rei."

"Huh? Why Rei?" Mako sat up from where she'd been laying her head on the bar and wiped her eyes. The fact that Usagi had started laughing uncontrollably only added to her confusion. "What's so funny?"

"Oh God, Mako-chan… seriously, you can never tell her!" Usagi cackled. "Tousan… he—" She laughed even harder, the force of it making her sit down on the floor.

"What the laughing hyena is trying to say, is that I was responsible for Goten and Rei," Vegeta announced proudly, grinning ear to ear when Mako's jaw dropped in shock.

"Bullshit," she snorted.

"No, really!" Usagi cried, still shaking with subdued laughter. "Tousan is the Master of Luuurve. He coached Goten on how to seduce the hell out of Rei, and it only took him like, three days before those two were bitten and bedded. That's why you can't _ever_ tell Rei."

"God, the shitstorm that would start…" the princess of Jupiter said in wonder. "She'd kill the lot of you. Or at least put you all in the burn ward." Once she got over this new information, she turned to look at Vegeta, her eyes sparkling with interest. "Three days, huh?"

"Shit, girl. You and the Namek are already mated. If he doesn't bed you in less than twenty-four hours, I'll relinquish my title as the ultimate god of fuck."

"Well, then." Mako straightened up, sitting at attention, and adjusted her skirt as she crossed her legs. "You have my attention, Master of Luuurve."

######################

Going over everything that Vegeta had told her, Makoto flew back to the clearing with a little smile on her face and a plan in her head. Oh, this was going to be fun, but she'd have to be very very careful to be subtle. Piccolo was **not** Rei by any means, and he was a lot more apt to figure out what she was doing if she wasn't careful.

"Hey," she said quietly, as she landed next to him. As he was prone to do lately, he was meditating, and she hesitated for a moment before kneeling in front of him and kissing him tenderly. Piccolo didn't like his quiet time interrupted, and it was something she'd made a point of respecting even after they'd started a relationship. Trailing her fingers lightly over his jaw, she waited patiently for him to open his eyes. "I'm sorry." Mako kissed him again, this time a little more forcefully, but made a point to pull away before her hormones got out of hand. "And I'm sorry for bothering you while you were meditating, but I felt the need to apologize. I was being a bit of a bitch."

Feeling lighter than he had in over a week, Piccolo pulled her into his lap and held her tightly, relaxing as she leaned into him and nuzzled his throat. Dear Dende, he'd missed this, missed just holding her, but he hadn't wanted her to assume that he wanted sex, either. He sighed happily as her hands wandered, her fingertips dancing over his back and chest, and bent his head to kiss her, keeping it light and slow.

Makoto leaned into it, her tongue flicking over his lower lip, but when he pulled away sharply, she blushed. "Sorry… I didn't mean to…" She sighed and shook her head in frustration, but waved a hand dismissively when he opened his mouth to speak. "No, it's ok, green bean. I didn't mean to seem like I was pushing the issue again. I really wasn't."

"Ah, I think I understand," he said, his eyes smiling at her. Piccolo bent his head to hers again and kissed her once more, this time parting her lips with his tongue and stroking it over hers. He kissed her like that for a good long while, keeping it slow, but finally pulled away when he felt his body responding to her, wanting more of the softness sitting in his lap. "Is that what you wanted?"

"Mmm," she replied dreamily, her fingers idly reaching up to stroke an antenna. Mako wanted more, but she managed to curb her desire for him just enough to slide out of his lap and give him one more tender kiss. "I'm going to change clothes; Tousan was a smart ass and ruined my skirt. Besides, it's getting warm out. Feel like doing some warm-ups?" She asked hopefully.

In a much better mood, Piccolo gave her a brief nod. "Just warm-ups and katas. If you start getting tired, you rest." He eyed her skirt for moment since she'd mentioned it; it had a few slits in it up to her knees, and a couple to her hip, revealing the creamy skin of her thigh and a hint of a pair of lacy, delicate green panties. The sight of that underwear made him want to pull them off of her with his teeth. "What did Vegeta do?"

"Eh… don't get mad?" She asked hesitantly. "I tried to goad him into training with me, and he threw a few ki blasts my way for even suggesting it. Then he promised to shred the rest of my skirt and send me home half naked if I didn't leave him alone," she snorted. "Asshole."

Piccolo made a mental note to thank Vegeta for refusing to train with her, since he knew all too well that training with Vegeta meant sparring, and sparring with Vegeta meant injuries. "No sparring until I say so," he grunted, and wasn't surprised to see her roll her eyes and huff at him in annoyance. "A few more weeks," he sighed. "I just don't want you to get hurt."

Mako knelt in front of him, positive that her entire leg was bare as she did so, and sighed before kissing him gently. "I know, I know. Tousan explained that what happened scared the hell out of you, and that I need to be understanding. Well, that wasn't exactly how he put it, but I know that's what he meant," she added with a smile. She breathed in sharply and looked down when she felt his hand smoothing up her thigh, his thumb running over the hem of her panties.

"Go change," he said hoarsely, unable to stop himself from brushing his claws over the bare skin. Damn it, just seeing that enticing long leg of hers, after all that kissing… _I need a cold shower, _he muttered mentally to himself.

"Sorry," she whispered, and brushed her mouth over his before heading inside. She checked the egg first, which was nicely speckled and had actually grown just a hair in the last few days. Piccolo had assured her that they no longer had to keep an all-day watch on it, now that it was two months along. He could monitor it easily just by focusing on the ki inside. She gave it a quick kiss before stripping down, walking into the kitchen, and washing her face in the sink, knowing full well that Piccolo would see her through the window if he looked up. She turned to grab a towel from the stove to dry her face, and caught a glimpse of him out of the corner of her eye. Yup, he was looking! And it looked like he wanted to eat her alive… which was quite the promising idea.

Once her face was dry, Mako went back in the bedroom, giving him no indication that she'd seen him watching her, and threw on a green sports bra that was just a little bit too small for her, along with the shortest pair of workout shorts she could find, which only just barely covered her entire butt and her panties. _Operation Ass is a go, _she thought mischievously as she walked out front, lifting her arms behind her head—which also lifted her breasts enticingly—to tie her hair back in a ponytail. "Ready." She studied him for a moment, pretending she was totally ignorant of why he was staring at her. "You ok, honey?"

Piccolo cleared his throat a little before answering. "Fine." He stood and looked away from her, fighting the urge to pull her into his arms and strip her down right out there in the open. That kiss had awakened something in him that he'd been forcing to lie dormant, and now he needed on a level that was nearly as bad as when he'd first acquired the addition to his anatomy.

No. No, damn it, he'd wind up hurting her, or worse yet, that shot would be some sort of a dud and she'd wind up pregnant again. Her voice made him jump, she'd closed the distance between them, and he could feel her breath against the back of his neck, and her breasts brushing lightly against him. "Piccolo… honey, seriously. What's wrong?"

"Nothing," he grunted, unable to keep himself from leaning back a little when she pressed against him, her arm going around his waist as she rested her head on his back. "I'm fine. Just worried about you." It wasn't a lie, at least; he was always worried about her.

Mako snorted and pecked him where her head had been resting. "You're like a mother hen, I swear. I'm just fine. Come on, let's get in the air already and do some katas."

Piccolo huffed in frustration not even five minutes into the exercise and moved to reposition her legs. "Dende, woman. Your form's gotten sloppy."

"Sorry," she said softly, noting the way his hand lingered on her thigh as he moved her leg into the proper position. Mako licked her lips at the sensation of his claws whispering over her skin and bit back a moan.

Piccolo didn't miss the way her face flushed a little, and immediately withdrew his hand. "No, I'm sorry, Koto," he sighed, bending in to peck her mouth. "I wasn't trying to tease you."

"I know," she sighed, leaning her forehead against his chest. "It's ok. I just… God, I want you so badly, Piccolo. The things I want you to do to me right now… they may very well be illegal," she added with a little growl.

He couldn't keep a little smirk off of his face at that statement. "Well, we'd best not break the law, then," he replied dryly, before firmly moving her arms into the proper position.

"Piccolo… couldn't we just…?"

"Ugh, Makoto… we've been through this. I wouldn't have the self-control to stop," he groaned.

His words were completely at odds with the way he was looking at her, though, and she knew she nearly had him right where she wanted him. Makoto licked her lips slowly as she glanced down at the bulge of his half-arousal. "I'd be more than happy to take care of that for you first, love. I haven't been eating my vegetables lately, and I'm suddenly craving green bean casserole."

Piccolo shivered under that predatory gaze, but managed to slowly shake his head. "The only casserole you're getting is out of the oven, Koto."

He found himself licking his own lips as hers twitched up in a mischievous smile. "But green bean, I'm afraid I'm all out of cream of mushroom soup," she chuckled softly.

"Oh, now you're just being _bad_, woman," he said with a roll of his eyes. "Besides, that's cream of _cucumber_, not mushroom." The Namekian tried to float out of reach when she pulled him to her, but his traitorous body wouldn't allow it. Damn it, he wanted her so badly that it hurt; he wanted her under him like before, moaning his name in desperation as he teased her, breathing his name in satisfaction as he finally allowed her to climax and tighten around him. He groaned when her hand slid over the front of his training pants, and still so new to having that demanding appendage, he couldn't help but move against her in invitation.

"You're incapable of hurting me, Piccolo," Mako whispered in his ear. "Let me take care of you, like that morning in the shower. I know how much you liked it. And then you can do the same for me, ok? No penetration, just oral. _Lots_ of oral," she amended with a husky laugh.

"Yeah," he grunted, as he bent his head and tasted her throat; Dende, he'd missed that taste sorely since the last time he'd been inside of her. "It'll take more than once, for certain." Piccolo hadn't' even been aware of his mate pulling them both through the trees until he felt his feet touch the forest floor, but before he could utter a word, she was yanking his pants down, dropping to her knees, and sliding her lips down his length, her tongue twirling over the head in a way that made him see spots in front of his eyes. "Koto—Koto, I'm not going to last—" And then he erupted down her throat, bunching her hair in his hands as his hips jerked forward and she groaned in approval, the vibration of the noise drawing out his climax. "—long," he finished breathlessly,

"Oh, I won't either, I guarantee it," she whispered, lowering her head once more to lick him clean. "And I believe you were wrong, love. Sure takes like cream of mushroom to me."

Piccolo barked out a laugh at that and threw his cloak down behind her before shoving her gently onto her back and jerking down her shorts. He growled a little when she softly moaned his name at the first light stroking of his tongue. "Is this what you wanted, Koto?" He drew her folds into his mouth and sucked once when she nodded. "Are you sure?"

"Piccolo, less talk and more lick… unless you want to wind up on your back."

"Actually… that doesn't sound like a bad idea," he chuckled. Piccolo gripped her hips tightly and immediately flipped them so that she was straddling his face. "Is this what you meant, Koto?"

"Not quite, but I'm sure I'll make due for now," she answered huskily. Her head rolled back and she moaned when he pulled her down to his mouth and slipped his tongue into her heat to stroke her nub. "God, yes," she whispered, her eyes slipping shut as he guided her hips to ride him while he licked her slowly. Then she felt his lips purse over that bundle of nerves and suck gently, and she gasped in pleasure. "Yeah, honey, just like that," she moaned helplessly, reaching back to run her fingertips lightly over his fresh arousal. The way he jerked against her hand sent her careening right over the edge, and Piccolo had to hold her up as he continued to suck to ride out her orgasm.

"Better?" He purred, once she had relaxed, her moans becoming whimpers as he occasionally licked her.

"So much better than getting myself off in the shower," she sighed.

Piccolo blinked and looked up at her curiously. "You mean, you've been…?"

"For a week now, and it's like eating ground beef when I've got a prime cut of steak sleeping in the bed with me," she huffed, sliding down his body to lick at his antennae.

"What is it with you and food metaphors, woman?"

"It's because I want to eat you alive, damn it."

Piccolo groaned at the raw need in her voice, and when she positioned herself over him and thrust down, he clutched at her back, shaking in reaction. "No, Koto, no! We can't—"

Mako rolled her hips over him, sliding down over the rest of length until he was locked inside of her, and sighed happily. "We are," she whispered sexily, flexing around him as she rocked back and forth slowly. "Shut up," she ordered, when he opened his mouth to protest. The princess of Jupiter found herself using the strength of her powers to pin his arms down when he tried to lift her off of him, and moved a little harder, squeezing his length with her inner muscles. "Don't make me stop," she whispered, bending down to his ear. Her tongue flicked out over the lobe when he moaned, and she rewarded him with a suck of his antenna. "That's it, green bean. I want you to come for me. Do you like this, honey? Me on top, dominating you? Making you take it?"

"Koto, the moment I get you back under me, _you're_ going to be the one taking it. Every damned inch of it."

"Good luck with that, green bean."

Piccolo gave a token struggle to find himself firmly pinned—unless he wanted to use his ki, anyway, and since he was worried he'd hurt her, he simply let her continue, fully giving in when he felt her move a little harder and suddenly tighten around him as she moaned his name. "Dende, woman. I've been waiting to hear you say my name like that for so long." He felt her release his hands and looked up at her questioningly.

"If you want me to moan it some more, this is your chance, big man."

Piccolo did not need a second invitation, and immediately sat up, wrapped her legs around his waist, and began to rock into her at a steady pace, moving harder as it became obvious that he was definitely **not **hurting her. He stripped her top and immediately took a nipple in his mouth, relishing her soft cry of pleasure she came again, and chuckling as she pulled him down on top of her. "Impatient woman."

"Damn right I am, green bean."

"Enjoying your steak dinner?"

"Immensely. It only needs some more cream of mushroom soup."

"Coming right up."

"Pun intended?" Mako chuckled.

"Of course."

###############

"Bee Bee! Wake fuck up! Now! Ass outta bed! I wanna play!"

Mako giggled and shook her head as Veggie tapped on the shell again, always careful to do so gently. "Now, that's not very nice, honey. You shouldn't talk like that."

Vegeta Jr. narrowed his eyes in deep thought and nodded. "I sowwy, Ko." Turning back to the egg, he tapped on it again. "I sowwy, bee bee! I mean wake fuck up, ass outta bed _**please**_!"

As if in response to his insistent yelling, a crack suddenly appeared, and Veggie jumped at the sight. "Ko! Ko! Bee bee wake the fuck up!"

Mako gently pulled the baby off of the bed and examined the egg carefully, shrieking for her mate when the crack widened and the egg shook a little. "Omelet AHOY!" She yelled into her communicator next, and was met with a cackle from Vegeta just before he hung up. "What do I do!? What do I do!?" She asked Piccolo, jumping off the bed to make room for him.

"Blankets," he grunted, "and some water for him to drink." Piccolo rubbed her shoulder when she shot him an absolutely terrified look. "He'll be fine, Makoto. See? He's moving, trying to break free—no! Don't help him, he needs to do it himself." He turned when he sensed several kis behind him. "Awfully crowded, don't you think?"

Goku grinned and stepped out, leaving Gohan, Usagi, Trunks and Vegeta standing there. "Come on, Trunks!"

"Yeah, yeah," he grumbled.

"And why is Vegeta necessary?" Piccolo grunted.

"Whether or not that brat's the incredible, edible egg, he's **my** grandbrat," Vegeta answered flatly. "_**Son**_," he added with a grin.

"Not your fucking son," Piccolo snorted, before turning back to his hatching child.

Oh, Vegeta wasn't through yet, not by a longshot. "You know, Namek, this brat's as much mine as it is yours, anyway. I shared damned near all my ki with it and your wife. She took it all. Left me a sweating, gasping heap, and she would have likely taken everyone else in the room too if it weren't for my daughter. It's simply amazing how many of us could fit inside of her at once."

Mako's eyes got wider with every few words before she burst out laughing and grabbed Piccolo to hold him back; he had risen off the edge with a low growl and was clearly preparing to strike his mate's adopted father. "Tousan, you're such a fucking _troll_!" She cackled.

"See, Namek? She liked it. Shall I get started on the fact that she's banging three different Nameks whenever you two mate? I have to admit, I'm curious as to what that's like," he muttered.

"Really, Tousan? Well, I'm sure Piccolo could be persuaded to give you a hell of a pounding if you'd like to bend over," Makoto replied tartly.

"Yes. Bend over, Vegeta, I'd love to rip you a new one," Piccolo grunted.

"Are you all this gay when Vegeta's around?" Gohan asked; he'd had to cover his mouth to keep from laughing during the cracks about Mako draining everyone's ki, but now that he could manage to breathe… "Because seriously, you guys, that's gay."

"Vegeta's the one that's gay, he wants to get pounded by a cucumber!" Goku called from the other room.

"SHUT UP, Kakarot!"

"Hey, you're the one that took some of me after Mako had drained you!" He snickered.

Vegeta made a disgusted sound and visibly gagged, making both of his daughters laugh.

"And the trolling has backfired," Usagi chuckled. "Thank you, Kakarot."

"Anytime!"

"Shut the fuck up!" Makoto ordered, scooting closer to the egg. The crack had widened significantly, and a few more were shooting out in different directions as the egg shook even harder.

"Come on, bee-bee! Wanna play!"

"Hush, brat," Vegeta ordered quietly, scooping his tiny double up from the bed. "Be patient. There's a time to be annoying, and a time to be silent."

"Kay, Paw Paw. Love you."

"That word, brat. Now hush," he muttered in his grandson's ear.

Mako and Piccolo both scooted a little closer to the egg when piece the size of a fist broke loose and fell to the nest of bedding, and the two peeked into the hole, both of them exchanging a smile at what they found. "He has your eyes," the Namek said softly.

"And your… everything else," she chuckled, taking a second look. Mako smiled as the baby glowed and the top of the egg disintegrated. "Come here, my little tadpole," she cooed, reaching down into the egg fearlessly, despite the ball of ki surrounding him. She wasn't surprised to see him actually reach for her; Piccolo had told her on more than one occasion that Namekian children were pretty cognizant from birth. "It's too bad you'll probably be walking in a week," she sighed, "I was hoping to get a lot of this 'little baby' time.

Usagi cooed and awwwed at the sight of the tiny green infant, but when she tried to reach for him and the ki surrounding him pulsed, she pulled her arms back. "Well, I'll wait until he's fed off of that leftover ki from me," she chuckled. "I'd rather not get put through a wall."

"Ah, so that's what that is," Piccolo said. "He's already awfully strong for a hatchling as it is."

"Come here, brat," Vegeta said, stepping forward. "Another strong grandbrat. You did well, Mako." He looked to Piccolo and smirked. "And I guess you did… something," he snorted.

"I did your daughter," Piccolo deadpanned.

The princess of Jupiter held her son out to Vegeta, and her and her mate laughed when the baby zapped him with a jolt of electricity. "Here, tadpole, go to your father," Mako chuckled, and handed him over. She smiled when Piccolo hesitated to take him at first and bobbled him for a moment. "Here, like this, Piccolo," she said gently, and put his arms in the proper position. "There we go. You'll get used to it."

The Namek studied his green-eyed clone for a long moment, while the baby simply stared right back at him. "My son. I never thought I'd say those words," he whispered. To his surprise, the baby smiled toothily at him and tugged on one of his antennae.

"Well, he seems to know you, at least," Mako chuckled.

"Bee bee!" Veggie shouted from his grandfather's arms, where he was struggling against a vice-like hold. "No Paw Paw! Lemme go!" He howled. "Want bee bee NOW! Sleep done! Play now!"

"Brat, you're pushing it," Vegeta snorted. He sighed impatiently when the baby started pulling on his hair, and decided it was time for a little discipline that was unique to only Saiyans.

"OOOOOW!" Veggie screamed at the top of his lungs.

"TOUSAN! What the fuck!?" Usagi screamed, darting forward to whack at Vegeta's arm. "LET GO OF HIS TAIL, YOU ASSHOLE!"

"I will when he lets go of my hair," Vegeta snorted in reply. "And for the record, girl, I'm barely squeezing it. I'd never _really_ hurt my own damned kin. He's just being a drama queen."

"PAW PAW, LET ME GO!" Veggie struggled as much as he could, but when Vegeta wouldn't release him, he turned his head and viciously bit down on his grandfather's arm, sinking the teeth into the muscle.

"OH, YOU LITTLE BASTARD!" Vegeta cried, gritting his teeth and fighting every inbred instinct to either squeeze harder or fling him into the closest wall. "Let. Go," he snarled, locking eyes with the Saiyan baby.

Veggie only growled back and sunk his teeth in harder, the murderous glare in his eyes matching that of his grandfather.

"I believe we have a Mexican Standoff," Trunks muttered in amusement from the doorway.

Usagi sighed and rolled her eyes; of course her mate would find this whole thing funny. Well, she would later, but right then the level of Saiyan stubbornness in the room was only getting on her nerves. "Vegeta!" She snapped, drawing both of their gazes. "Not just you, boy, your Paw Paw as well. Listen the hell up. I'm going to count to three, and when I get there, you're both going to let go of each other. Understand me?"

Veggie just growled at her, and she lightly whacked his leg in response. "Boy, your Paw Paw has enough sense not to argue. Count of three. Tousan?"

"If it gets those fucking fangs out of my arm, fine!" Vegeta yelled.

"Boy?"

Vegeta winced when the baby nodded, which only moved the teeth in his arm.

"One. Two. Three." Usagi reached out and caught her son the moment he was free, and her eyes went wide when he flung a tiny ki blast at his grandfather. It was easily blocked, but it was surprising as hell, all the same. "Eh, no more of that," she warned, when he started formed another little blue ball in his hand. "Absorb it, boy, or no cookies later on."

"Give him here," Makoto chuckled, finally speaking now that she could keep herself from cackling with laughter. "It looks like Tousan could use a healer, anyway."

Sure enough, Vegeta's arm was pouring blood, so Usagi handed the baby over and took care of her father. She watched, however, when Veggie immediately crawled into Piccolo's lap and peeked into the blanket-wrapped infant's eyes. "My om nom," he said flatly. "Picca, gimme."

"Gimme died, boy."

"Pwease."

"But please didn't. Here," Piccolo grunted, and laid his son down on the bed. His eyes went wide for a moment when the Saiyan princeling immediately snuggled up to him and wrapped his tail around his waist protectively. "Huh. That was unexpected."

"I know, right? I expected him to start chewing on Tantu the moment he got close enough," Mako giggled.

"They've imprinted," Vegeta grunted. "It's uncommon among my people, but not unheard of if the brats are very young and of the same age. They'll be inseparable, now."

Piccolo groaned at that and shook his head. "It seems we've acquired twins, Koto."

"Hush, they're cute," Mako whispered. She elbowed her mate and pointed when Veggie started purring and Tantu giggled and waved his antennae in response. Startled by the noise, Veggie looked up and stopped purring, only for the Namekian infant to thump his chest and scowl at him. Then he smiled again when the rumbling started back up, and snuggled closer to the Saiyan child. "Hm, somehow I don't think the extra baby will be a problem. We'll trade off every day, I guess, as to where we're staying?"

"Fine by me," Usagi said. "Veggie's been off the tit for months, so I don't mind him sleeping over every two days. Unless we can separate them?"

"Not unless you want a repeat episode of my arm, girl," Vegeta grunted.

Mako scooped up her newborn son and wound up taking Veggie with her too when he refused to relinquish his grip on Tantu. "Uh-uh, I'm not taking him away," she said gently, when the little Saiyan growled at her, "I'm just moving the both of you. Uncle Picca and I need to get the egg cleaned off the bed to make it cozy for you two, ok? You can snuggle in our bed for now."

"Kay, Ko. I keep bee bee safe."

"His name is Tantu, sugar."

Veggie nodded and started purring again when Tantu thumped his chest; it was clearly an order to make with the motor. "Tantu my brudder. I protect."

**DONE! YAY! Not with the whole fic, of course, we got one more chapter, people. PLEASE R&R, those reviews make me bust shit out faster!**


	7. Chapter 7

**YAY! FIIIIIIIINAAAAAALLY! R&R, I worked so hard!**

Mako moaned as she heard yet another outraged cry from the spare bedroom, and halted her cooking to poke her head in. "Geta? Sugar?"

"S'ok, Ko. Brudder mad."

Well, she could definitely see that, Tantu looked downright fit to be tied, and was shooting his Saiyan brother a glare that Piccolo would have been proud of. "Why?"

And with a roll of his eyes and a huff that Vegeta would have been proud of, the toddler lowered his mouth to Tantu's belly. "OM NOM NOM NOM NOM…"

Makoto laughed when the green baby giggled and squealed, waving his arms and antennae in the air, and when the princeling tried to pull away, Tantu yanked his face back down to his fat belly in a clear order for more. Veggie looked at her, his eyes pleading for a little help. Apparently this had been going on for quite a while and he was getting tired of it. "Hey, you're the one that wanted the omelet, honey. Tell you what, though… keep Tantu occupied, and I'll throw in a batch of cookies while I'm cooking dinner. Deal?"

Geta's eyes lit up and he grinned as he nodded emphatically; Aunt Ko's cookies were the ultimate bribe of all bribes. "I want six, Ko."

"Three," she replied with a smile; this was practically a daily routine for them, and she had a feeling that the kid had gotten some haggling pointers from his grandfather.

"Five."

"Four."

"Uh… fine. Four," he snorted, and she shook with him when he stuck out his little hand.

"You want a cookie, too, tadpole?"

At only five months old, Tantu didn't talk much despite his rapid growth, but he understood just about everything he heard. "EAT! OM NOM!"

"Thank you for teaching him _**that**_ one," she mumbled to herself, trying not to chuckle. "Four for you, too, then. And I think I'll spoil my own dinner with the other four as well, tadpole." She tickled his belly just above his diaper and grinned when he squirmed and giggled at her. "After all, it's a special occasion, isn't it?"

"You see big, green and ugly?" Veggie asked.

"Yup. Don't tell Uncle Piccolo, though. It's supposed to be a surprise," she whispered conspiratorially.

Piccolo hadn't touched her in several days since he was apparently great at counting, and knew that her six months of birth control was just about up. But that was just fine, Makoto had a plan to allay his worries about her getting pregnant again and having to go through the same ordeal that they had with Tantu.

As if on cue, there was a knock at the door, one quick, sharp rap that always preceded the sight of a Saiyan prince at her door. "Play om noms with your brother," Mako said quickly, and scurried to the back to swing the door open and hug Vegeta. "Did you find them all?"

"Of course I found them all, girl. Feh, I think it's a new record, honestly… only took me an hour or so." Vegeta looked at her when she looked back into the kitchen. "Well, are you going or not, woman? Go make your damned wishes before your mate gets back. I'll watch the brats."

"Ugh… I have dinner in the oven, Tousan, and I kind of promised the kids cookies. Um… hang on." Makoto quickly popped a pan with cookie dough on it in the oven and set one timer, and as Vegeta entered and closed the door behind him, she handed it to him. "Here, pull the cookies when this one goes off. And pull the pan in the oven when the timer on the stove sounds."

"Girl, I do _not_ cook."

"No, you don't, Tousan. But I think a tough Saiyan prince such as yourself can handle pulling the food out of the oven. After all, you do the same with the microwave, right?"

"Ugh… fine!" Vegeta shoved the timer in his pocket and stalked towards his grandchildren's room, where a series of om noms could be heard. "Go make your damned wishes, girl! Just don't expect there to be any food left when you return!"

"I love you, Tousan!"

"Whatever," he grumbled good-naturedly, and he didn't refuse her grateful kiss on his cheek before she rushed out the front door with the bag full of dragonballs and a grin on her face.

##########################

"Piccolo, hey! Is Geta behaving himself!?"

He nodded at Usagi before pulling something out of his pocket and approaching her. "I need you to hold still for a moment," he grunted.

Usagi blinked when he removed her wedding ring and compared it with another ring he had in his hand; she recognized it as one of Mako's pieces of jewelry, something she rarely ever wore. "Ah, I get it," she chuckled. "Piccolo, that's so sweet."

"Whatever," he huffed, before slipping Mako's ring onto Usagi's left hand. "Good, it fits. I just needed something to get the size from." He slipped it back off and pointed his finger at her hand, totally focused on the picture in his head.

Usagi laughed when an ugly lump of metal appeared on her finger. "Better try it again, Piccolo."

"Ugh, I've never made anything this complicated, and never a piece of jewelry," he growled.

"Start small," she suggested. "Just try to make the band at first, then build on it." Usagi waited patiently, her hand extended, while Piccolo continued to zap ring after ring onto her hand, only to grunt in frustration and discard them. "You know, Piccolo… you could always have one designed for her."

"One, I don't have money, and I'm not taking yours. And two, I want to make it for her, not purchase it," he answered distractedly as he continued to practice on her hand. "When a Namekian gives a gift to someone, it means something, and for a Dragon Clan Namekian, it should be made rather than bought."

"But aren't you technically a Warrior class as well?" Usagi teased.

"Nail was, not myself or Kami. And don't even start about how we're all one and the same, I'm well aware of who and what I am, Usa." Piccolo smirked as he finally managed to zap a flawless gold band onto her finger, but when he attempted to add on to it, he groaned and removed the lumpy mass from her hand.

"Come on, Piccolo," Usagi suggested, grabbing his hand and tugging on it. "If this is going to take a while, I can at least eat with my right while you keep zapping my left." Once inside and sitting while Bulma's mother cooked her something, she asked the real question that had been on her mind. "So… you're going to ask her to marry you and everything?" She asked curiously. The princess smiled when Piccolo just turned purple and shook his head before discarding another failed attempt.

"No, I already consider us mates for life," he finally answered, "but I know a ring is the way you humans make it official… I think. It is, right? You and Trunks put rings on each other at that ceremony, and I've seen the ring on Rei's hand."

"The ring doesn't make it official, Piccolo. It's merely a symbol that a man or a woman wears after getting married, so that other people will know that they're taken. Hey, that one's not bad, Piccolo! Why are you throwing it away?"

"It's not perfect," he grunted, setting the lump of gold and gems to the side.

"What are you trying to make it look like anyway?" Usagi asked curiously. "That pink stone almost looks like—"

"A rose, yes. I thought I'd make it to match those earrings she never takes out. Clearly, they mean something to her," he replied.

Obviously, he'd never asked her, or he would have known. "They were her mother's. I'm sure you know that her parents were killed in a plane crash."

Piccolo nodded a little, and grunted in satisfaction when he finally got the damned rose just right; its pink petals splayed out just a little as if it was in full bloom. "Almost done." He groaned again as he zapped the ring and completely ruined it.

Usagi sat it to the side and dutifully stuck her hand back out. "What now? Leaves?" She asked, when she eyed the mass of emerald that had covered the whole rose.

"Yes," Piccolo growled, "and I'm starting to get frustrated, so shut up, Usa."

She snorted and rolled her eyes. "Yes, dear." Usagi chuckled after several more minutes and tipped him a wink when he looked up at her. "So… Mako's birth control is about up, isn't it?"

"Yes," he grunted. "How soon can you get her another injection?"

"A couple more days, since Bulma's out of town on some business thing. I don't like nosing around in her lab without her permission… you never know when an experiment might leap out and bite me in the ass."

"Too true." Piccolo sighed happily as he studied his latest attempt, and removed it from Usagi's finger before examining it more closely. "Perfect. Thank Dende, I thought that was going to take all day."

"Here," Usagi offered as she dug around in her subspace and pulled out a black velvet ring box. "I swear, my subspace is so cluttered with extra jewelry and shit that it's about time to clean it out," she chuckled. "You know… you might want to do something to strengthen it. Trunks did something to mine that keeps it from getting fucked up during training, since gold bends so easily."

"He infused it with a bit of his ki," Piccolo rumbled as he did the same to Mako's ring, and he smirked a little at the thought of her actually carrying a little bit of him on her hand wherever she went. "Thank you, Usagi," he added as he placed it in the box and stuck it in his pocket.

"Hey, no problem, I'll be your hand model if you ever decide to make her a Mother's Ring as well… after she's popped out a few more sprouts, that is. It's a ring with a woman's children's birthstones on it," she explained. "Tantu's birthstone is… huh. Do we count the night we took the egg from her, or do we go by the day he actually hatched?"

"When he hatched," Piccolo chuckled.

"Opal, then. When's your birthday?"

He furrowed his brow and thought hard before shaking his head. "I don't know, Namekians don't celebrate such things. I just know that it was summer. Probably July, maybe August."

"Ruby, then. Or Onyx. Guess what mine is?" She asked with a grin.

"Probably moonstone," Piccolo snorted, and he smirked when she nodded.

######################

Makoto trembled a little as she looked up at the massive dragon staring down at her, waiting for her to say something. "Um… hi," she managed lamely.

**You have summoned me, Princess of Jupiter. You have two wishes. Make them so I may return to my rest.**

"Um, well…" She hedged, "I'm not too sure how to word my wish," she admitted, blushing with embarrassment.

Shenron seemed to roll his eyes and huff impatiently. **Explain it then, princess. I will try to grant it.**

She nodded, emboldened by his command. "Well, you see, I'm mated to Piccolo, and being Namekian… well, the silver crystal took care of his ability to reproduce," she said, turning an even brighter red. "But when I got pregnant with our son, an egg formed and nearly killed me when it started absorbing my ki like crazy, and would have killed me anyway by the end of the second month or so, since it would have gotten huge."

**So your wish is…? **Even an idiot could see that Shenron was practically twirling his claws in a circular motion, telling her to get the hell on with it.

"I want to be able to carry my mate's children like I would carry a normal human child, at the same rate of development, and give birth to them naturally, and for them to grow up at the same rate as a human child. I don't care if they look like Nameks, though. I just want them to grow at the same rate as I did, instead of being adults in like, eight years." She fluffed her hair in agitation. "Is that worded right? Sorry if I was so longwinded, Shenron."

**Yes. That is something I can do, longwinded or not. **Shenron closed his eyes and paused for a few moments. **Your wish is granted. **

Makoto beamed and hugged the dragon, much to his obvious annoyance. "Sorry," she giggled, "I'm just so happy!" There was a long moment of silence while she composed herself. "Alright, second wish. And don't worry, I know how to word this one," she chuckled, fighting the urge to laugh harder when the dragon looked obviously relieved. "Ok, I wish that anyone left with Saiyan blood in them would regain their tails, if they lost them or weren't born with them."

**Thank the gods, I didn't have to listen to a backstory, **Shenron huffed.

"Are you teasing me?" Makoto snorted, gaping at the dragon in surprise. "Don't make me zap you, Shenron. I'd hate to make the Eternal Dragon fight the Thunder Dragon."

He snorted in what seemed like a mix of humor and contempt for what was—to him, at least—her pitiful little thunder dragon. **Your wish is granted, princess. Now I will return to my sleep.**

"Night, then!" Makoto said pleasantly, kissing his nose. "And thank you, Shenron. I really mean it."

**And I thank you, princess, for you and your comrades protecting this universe. Give my regards to Her Majesty.**

Makoto grinned at that; so that's why Shenron had been so personable with her. It was nice to be appreciated for all of their efforts, which very few people even knew about. And then the dragon was gone, flying back into the sky, and the dragon balls shot every which way, turned to stone for another year and scattered.

On her way home, her communicator went off, and she was extremely surprised to see Vegeta's face on her screen. Were those tears in his eyes!? "Holy shit, Tousan, are you ok? What's wrong? Are Tantu and Geta fighting?"

"Nothing's wrong, girl," he said thickly, obviously trying his hardest to compose himself. "Did you… with the dragonballs? Because that's the only fucking explanation I can come up with."

Makoto blinked for a moment before smiling and nodding. "Glad you liked it, Tousan. Did Trunks and Goku and everyone else freak the fuck out? I wish I could have seen the looks on their faces."

"Trunks is, as you girls call it, 'geeking out.' Kakarot…" Vegeta grinned and shook his head. "He IT'd straight over and started freaking out over the difference in balance. He's already stepped on his twice, which I must admit is hilarious, especially when he trips and falls into something. Clumsy jackass." Vegeta's face grew serious for a moment. "Don't tell me that's all you wished for, girl."

Makoto beamed, her smile as radiant as the sun. "Oh, I got my wish."

"Viable brats?"

"Yup."

"Damn it, now I won't get to daydream about Saiyan-sized omelets anymore." Vegeta licked his lips at the thought of food. "Speaking of which, I'm suddenly craving eggs."

And in typical Vegeta fashion, he simply clicked off without saying goodbye, leaving Makoto laughing so hard that she was in tears.

####################

"You left them with Vegeta?" Piccolo asked with a hint of annoyance when his mate walked in the house. "I'll have you know, our son learned a new word as a result."

"Fuck or shit?" Makoto asked, rubbing the bridge of her nose. God, she was going to have to have another talk with Vegeta about watching his damned language in front of the babies.

"Neither. It was 'boner.' Now, every time I've changed his diaper, he's pointed at his penis and yelled, 'BONER!' at the top of his lungs," Piccolo replied, trying his very best to hide a chuckle. "Vegeta said it was a fair exchange for being forced to change shitty Namekian drawers."

Mako sidled around the table and straddled his lap as she sat down, pressing tightly to him, and when he protested she hushed him. "So… are they both napping?"

"Trunks came by a little while ago and took them both. You just missed him. And no, Koto. You know just as well as I do—"

"Shut up, green bean," she snickered, lightly brushing her mouth over his. "We don't have to worry about that anymore, it's been taken care of. Here," she offered, taking his hands in hers.

Piccolo gave her a slightly suspicious look before closing his eyes and forming a telepathic link with her, but it quickly shifted to one of interest when he was done viewing her memory of that afternoon. "You want another one so soon, Koto?"

"Well, Tantu will be a big boy by the time nine months have passed, and we may not even get pregnant again right away. I thought we'd just let things happen naturally… if that's alright with you." When he was silent, she sighed and ran her mouth up his neck, simply cherishing the fact that she actually had him not just as a friend, but as a lover and life partner as well. "Piccolo, if it's not ok, I'll get another shot from Bulma," she added gently. "I don't want you to feel pressured in any way, love."

"No," he finally replied after a few moments of just basking in her love for him, their telepathic link still open while their hands were joined. "I'm not averse to having more children, Koto. I'm just… I worry," he finally admitted, "that you'll get hurt again."

"Totally normal human pregnancies, green bean. Nine months long, normal growth, and nothing to worry about other than the usual pregnancy problems. Which," she added quickly, when she noted the flicker of fear in his eyes, "aren't too much to worry about, since I'm sure Bulma and Ami will use me as an experiment and hook me up to an ultrasound every five minutes."

Piccolo smirked at that and nibbled at her throat as he thought of the countless times her and Tantu had been poked, prodded, and examined by Vegeta and Gohan's mates since their return from Namek. He'd also allowed a single testing of his own blood, and the results had perplexed everyone that had looked at them.

Rather than possess an X and a Y chromosome, Piccolo was YY, which Mako had jokingly groaned over and lamented the fact that she'd bear him nothing but sons. Wieners everywhere, as she'd put it.

"Are you sure about this, Koto?" Piccolo rumbled in her ear, his hands already betraying his intentions as they bunched her skirt up to her hips and began to tug at her panties.

Mako sighed happily as his claws whispered over the insides of her thighs, and flushed with pleasure in reaction. "Make love to me, Piccolo. I've wanted you inside of me for days," she breathed in response, rocking her hips slowly over his growing arousal as she tugged at his waistband.

"Only if I get to do something that I've been aching to try," he mumbled, releasing her hands so that the telepathic link was broken.

"I'm all yours, big man." Mako jumped as he suddenly pointed a finger at her, and with a zap, she was shivering at her sudden lack of clothing and gaping at him in shock. "I'll want those back later."

"Consider them being held hostage," he replied teasingly, lifting her onto him and groaning at the sensation of being surrounded by her warmth. "I love you," he murmured into her ear as he began to move, slowly thrusting into her while his hands explored and worshiped her flesh. "Tell me you're mine," he moaned suddenly, as she began to tighten around him for the first time, clutching at his back and whimpering incoherently.

"Yours," she replied breathlessly. "All yours," she added. "Oh God… Piccolo…"

"Yes," he whispered, moving into her harder as she began to climax. "Feels so good when you get tight, Koto. Come for me again," he ordered deliriously, his claws digging into her hips a little as she began to ride him, matching him for every thrust.

"Love you," she gasped, followed by a low moan of his name as he took control again and slammed into her several times before easing back to his previous gentleness. "Again," Mako whimpered. She cradled his head to her breast when he began to lavish them with attention, her head rolling back as he did as she asked and began to pound into her, his hands clamping down on her waist to move her in time with him. "Don't stop, Piccolo," she begged desperately. Her breathing became labored as she came again and another climax followed right on its heels, then another and another. "Please don't stop," she moaned. "Please…"

Mako heard a crack soon after, but dismissed the sound as he took her to the floor, not missing a beat in the rhythm of their lovemaking as he continued to take her hard and aggressively on the kitchen tile.

"Going to come," he half-moaned, half-grunted. "Come with me, Koto." Piccolo felt her nod slightly and clutch at him tightly in response, and in mere moments she was arching into him and crying out in ecstasy. He joined her with a groan, his vision whiting out as he was flooded with pleasure from head to toe, gentling his motions inside of her as he rode out both of their climaxes.

"Koto?" He mumbled after several long minutes of just trembling in each other's arms.

"Mmm?"

Piccolo cracked a smile at the sight of her glazed over, half-lidded eyes, and fished around for his pants for a moment. "I love you, Makoto," he said seriously, slipping the ring he'd made onto her left ring finger.

Mako looked down at it and smiled. "It's perfect, love. But you didn't have to get me a ring. I know you love me, just as much as I love you."

Piccolo brushed away a couple tears that she wasn't aware of shedding and bent his head to brush his mouth over hers. "I wanted you to have it; your sisters all have one, and I didn't like seeing the lack of one on your finger. Now everyone will see it and know that you're mine."

Mako didn't have words for that, she simply kissed and moved her hips in invitation, more than willing to surrender her body to him again and be his in every way.

"I didn't satisfy you?" He chuckled in her ear.

"Oh, you did, green bean. Now it's my turn to satisfy you."

Piccolo shook his head as he felt himself growing hard as her words aroused him. Damned thing. "I beginning to see why these Saiyans are becoming quite the horde," he muttered dryly.

"Because making babies is a fun distraction?" Mako asked, rolling her hips. "We should counter their offenses with our own Namekian clan," she added with a grin.

"Then let's get to it," he grunted, suddenly wrapping his arms around her waist and standing, leaving behind the kitchen chair they'd broken into pieces with the intensity of their mating. "I don't sense a baby yet, so I guess I'm not doing it right."

Makoto giggling as he dumped her on the bed and he landed on top of her, his mouth moving over his breasts. "Well, Piccolo, like training, these things take a lot of practice. Just like coming up with a new attack on accident, we made Tantu the same way… and now we have to practice until we can consistently get the same results."

"Do you have any clue how fucking sexy you are when you talk about training during sex?" Piccolo groaned. He stopped and looked at her funny when she burst out into a fit of laughter, burying her face in his chest. "What? Was it something I said?"

"I—I just had the most disturbing image of you coming while you yelled out the Masenko attack!" She replied between laughs, and wasn't surprised to hear him joining in with her as well.

Once he could control his own fit of laughter, he moved inside of her slowly. "So… does someone want the Special Beam Cannon?"

"Fire away, love," Mako snickered.

**And that is the END of Attraction! WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! FINALLY! I FINISHED ANOTHER FIC! *waves pom poms in the air and does a high kick… then groans at the resulting pulled muscle* Too old for that shit… heh, and I talk about wanting to fuck Vegeta's brains out on a daily basis. I can't even run 100 yards without collapsing and whining for a cigarette… I wouldn't last five minutes with that man. Gods… NOW! On to work on History and Love Shack! WOO! LOVE YALL!**


End file.
